Ruby Phoenix
by rabbitsargeant1
Summary: This story is about a separate guild in the Kingdom of Fiore; the Ruby Phoenix. Join Marlow, a talking rabbit who can manipulate gravity, Caden, also a talking rabbit who uses magic to sneak around, Arcadia, a tomboy-ish fire wizard, Chiron, an expert, serious wizard who can summon demons, Hayle, a phoenix, and the entire guild on their madcap adventures with magic
1. The Interview

Ruby Phoenix - A _Fairy Tail_ fictional story

This story revolves around a separate guild in the magical land of Fiore named Ruby Phoenix and their madcap adventures in wizardry.

_Chapter 1 - The Interview_

"OK, this is the Ruby Phoenix Guild and I am its maste- oh, uhh… would you aim the camera down on me, please? Thank you. Anyway, umm, I am the master of the Ruby Phoenix magical guild, Marlow Melone, and this is the guild hall public pavillion. Now I'm sure you're wondering 'Why would a guild master be so young'".

"Umm, sir, you are a rabbit"

"Yes, I'm aware"

"Is there any reason for that"

"It's a long story, just... remind me later, OK, the interview".

Vanessa Fleet was a photographer and reporter from the esteemed wizardry magazine entitled _Sorcerer's Weekly. _The magazine was quite popular in the kingdom of Fiore, as its people were fascinated on the whereabouts and antics that the various magical guilds that swarm the landscape. On this Spring day, in the year X791, the magazine's editor decided to start a segment on new and upcoming guilds. One such guild, being the topic of discussion, was Ruby Phoenix, located on the edge of the western, ruined town of Gokenomura, which, due to unknown reasons, fell into the ocean one year prior. The town, or more so it's ruins, lie only 11 kilometers from the southern city, Ceruleo. The Ruby Phoenix Guild itself was established only one week earlier by the magic council, and Marlow, enthralled with the idea of free publicity, agreed to the interview.

"Alright, so… Vanessa was it?" Marlow inquired.

"Yes?"

"Vanessa, thank you for this wonderful opportunity. What about the guild do you wanna know about first? It's founding? It's history? Well, actually the town's history? The architecture? How about the peo-"

"Actually, I was hoping you could introduce me to the members of your guild".

"Ah yes, of course, umm, we don't...um...actually have too many members, it's just we only started a week ago and it's mostly just my friends and I, plus or minus a few people. I thought the purpose of the interview was to get more- I mean to… uhh, yeah, umm…"

A silence fell as Marlow lost his train of thought

"Well, how many members do you have?"

"Only eight-ish"

"Oh, is that all?" Vanessa said condescendingly. There was a pause, then Vanessa said "Well, introduce me to them anyway, I guess. And could you make this quick. I have other guilds to be at later."

"Oh, sure. Follow me"

Marlow was, as mentioned earlier, a small rabbit. This was the product of a curse that was heinously placed upon him when he was out on his adventures. Marlow, 21 in age, travelled the Kingdom after he graduated from grade school in Gokenomura, which he inhabited before it fell and took his parents. Accompanied with him were his close friends, Caden Rikatoya, Arcadia Pheleane, and eventually Chiron. Although high-strung and panicked, Marlow has a kind heart and is very empathetic when others are hurt.

As the two descended down a staircase leading to the guild hall Vanessa asked "So tell me, what type of magic do you use?"

"I can manipulate gravity to make things float, or to push them around or into the ground, although I rarely use the latter"

"And why are you a rabb-"

Vanessa's words caught in her throat as she beheld the main section of the guild hall. You see, the architecture of the Ruby Phoenix guild hall is, as Marlow alluded to, something of magnificence. On the surface, it merely appears to be a small building on a cliff face looking over the ocean, but that is just an area for people of the public to gather for events, to request jobs, or even to view the little museum that Marlow set up, but go down the stairs and you'll end up in a huge hall and bar literally built into the side of the cliff. Keep going down more stairs and you'll find a library, magical item storage, dorms, kitchen, a spa, and eventually the beach itself. As the duo entered the main hall, Vanessa snapped some pictures

"Impressed, hmm" Marlow gloated, "yes, this hall was actually built by a friend of mine whose life I saved on my adventures. He was mute, so people just called him Yellow, and, as you can see, he works wonders"

"Color me impressed"

"Interesting fact, the topmost building actually used to be Gokenomura's school on the edge of town, but obviously that's out of-"

Vanessa interrupted "Yeah, that's neat, so introduce me to your members"

"Umm, alright".

The two walked over to a table with red-haired (literally red, not just ginger) girl and another small bunny, both of age 22, and a large, red bird

Marlow introduced the two, "This is Arcadia Pheleane, an accomplished fire wizard and Caden Rikatoya, a skilled wizard in the art of Deception. This bird is actually the inspiration for our guild's name, as she is a phoenix. Arcadia was raised with her and her name is Hayle"

Arcadia greeted with a "Sup."

Hayle politely dadded, "Hello. how are you?"

Vanessa asked "You are aware that Caden is a rabbit, right?"

Marlow anxiously said "Yes, yes. I know he's a rabbit. We're both rabbits. It was a curse. Can we forget about the rabbits for just a sec?"

Then suddenly, Marlow changed into a normal man, and Caden followed suite.

"It takes up magical energy" Marlow added, "But we can turn back into humans for a short amount of time"

"Oh, that's special." Venessa said.

"Yeah, I usually deal with it because I, being an amazing person, thrive in the face of adversity" Caden added.

"...Of course, so Caden, tell me, as a Deception wizard, what can you do?"

"Aha! I knew you'd ask. I have the amazing ability to turn invisible, walk through walls, teleport short distances, and become completely silent!"

"If only the silence was permanent," Hayle whispered to Arcadia, and both laughed.

Caden took notice and remarked," You only wish you could posses the great powers that I do." Arcadia shot a small fireball at Caden and he squealed. Arcadia and Hayle erupted with more laughter.

"Yes, how amusing…" Vanessa added condescendingly as she wrote something down in her notes, "Wait, if you can turn invisible, what about your clothes?"

"Well," Caden responded, "My power can normally affect clothes and things I'm touching, but, as you can see, I'm a rabbit, so it wouldn't matter if I was nake-"

Arcadia interrupted with "Yeah, Marlow, Caden, and I go wayyy back, like, when we were five or something. We all went to the same school, and I'm kinda the one that got these crazy kids into magic."

Hayle butted in with "Hey, don't forget about me."

"Oh, yeah, you're lame, all you do is be on fire and not die."

"At least I didn't burn down an orphanage accidentally."

"Are you two done with the interview or…"

Marlow, noticing how the reporter was quickly losing interest, added," Don't mind Arcadia, she's immature; follow me and I'll show you-."

Marlow was cut off by a loud whistle. The noise was emitted by a young girl wearing an extremely revealing outfit, wearing a lip and nose piercing, and neon green hair.

"Hello, Mrs. Reporter, don't you want pictures of someone more interesting than those posers?"

"Oh dear" Marlow muttered to himself, then turned to Vanessa," This is our youngest member, Isa Totaya. She can control the energy of inanimate objects and make something out of it in a technique known as Arcane-Make magic." Marlow turned back to Isa and said, "I thought your parents grounded you for getting your belly-button pierced. They said you couldn't come to the guild for like, a week"

"Yeah, well screw 'em, I've got an interview to perform, Hitari!"

As soon as Isa yelled, a smaller, yet older than Isa, boy came from the top of the stairwell and recited dramatically," A gentle drop of rain falls upon a lonely tulip in the woods, tis a symbol for the blessing of tears for the lonely." There was a pause

Isa responded with "What the hell was that? I asked you to be my personal assistant, not recite that old play crap, jeez."

"'Tis never an allowance for my deserved spotlight." Hitari muttered.

"You brought Hitari?" Marlow yelled, then turned to Vanessa "Pardon me, he's...new. He only joined the guild because his girlfriend, who you've met, joined. He's practicing the ability to silence other wizards."

"Ah, and Isa is a...model?" Vanessa asked as she viewed her sitting in various provocative poses

""No, no she is not."

Marlow hurried Vanessa away from Isa, much to her dismay, when they ran into a quiet, mildly dressed, lavender-haired girl sitting in the corner. Marlow, frightenly, said quietly "Oh, no Vanessa, umm, don't go near her" Then she turned to the girl and said "H-hello Clara, how are you today?" Marlow again whispered to the reporter "Clara Dorian accompanied my friends occasionally on our adventures. She's nice, but she tends to make people insane when they come too close."

Vanessa responded with an "Oh" and slowly backed away. The two smiled politely and walked to another part of the room. They went to the bar and there, they saw a young man who was plainly dressed in a blue shirt and short hair.

Marlow said "Oh, this is Milo Franz, he works as a secretary, a, uhh, bartender I guess, a-"

Milo cut him off "Yeah, after Marlow and Caden saved my life a while back, I had to make it up to them by working for them. Even though I have no magic, he agreed, although I have been practicing telekinesis."

He tried to lift a cup, but it only fell over after a few seconds of altitude. Milo blushed and said "Yeah, I'm not powerful in the slightest" Vanessa only rolled her eyes and Marlow, noticing it, grew more anxious.

"Thanks Milo" Marlow said to him, then acknowledged Vanessa and said "Come follow me, I want to introduce you to someone cool."

Marlow and Vanessa walked down to the part of the hall where you can look out onto the sea on the cliff. There, they met a 23-year-old man clad in an all-black robe and carrying a scythe.

"This is Chiron" Marlow told Vanessa "Arcadia, Caden, and I met him on our adventures, and he agreed to travel with us. He is probably the most powerful wizard here, and he practices a type of magic called Demonology where you can not only summon demons you've entrusted, but also borrow their power" Marlow stood there with a proud grin, but Chiron only nodded silently.

"How do you entrust a demon exactly?" Vanessa inquired

"It's a long story. I've no time." Chiron said.

"Ah, of course."

"Would you like to see my power?"

"I don't see why not."

And to Marlow's dismay, a large, black door appeared out of thin air and a vulture-like demon appeared as the door opened.

"This is Vorlue, he is a demon known as a Vrock" Chiron inquired.

"You summoned me, buddy-ole pal, who needs obliterating" The Vrock stated

"Oh, no one please." Marlow said apprehensively. Chiron nodded, and Vorlue looked down dejected.

"Who's the dame? She single?" Vorlue asked hopefully.

"Chiron, you can send him back now." Marlow said, regretting his former decision.

"Oh alright, sorry." Chiron responded as he sent a downtrodden demon back into the black door.

"Interesting enough" Vanessa said, "If that's all, I really have places to be."

"But you didn't take pictures of me in my swimsuit" Isa yelled across the room

"But you have yet to behold the majesty that is my prowess" Caden yelled as well.

Marlow randomly turned back into a rabbit, and Vanessa just stared at them unimpressed," Thank you for showing me around, you'll see the article next week...Maybe." Vanessa said coldly. _Maybe? What's that supposed to mean? _Marlow thought, but instead said politely "Oh no, thank you for coming here, it was a pleasure having you." Marlow flashed an anxious smile "Would you like me to show you out?"

"Oh no, thank you." Vanessa said as she snapped some final pictures, then left. After she was gone, Marlow collapsed on the ground and cried "Oh, no. I screwed up the interview. I'm a failure." Of course, he didn't mean it, but he was so stressed out that that stress was destroying his morale.

"I think the interview went well" Arcadia said, "You know those reporters are stuck up snobs. Plus, if they diss a guild, they'd get sued or something for slander, or whatever the word is." But it was no use, nothing could pierce through Marlow's dedicated dejection. He went over to the bar and got himself a tall glass of ale. And, yes; Marlow does tend to freak out over small things sometimes.

Caden came up to him, also randomly turned back into a rabbit, and calmly comforted him "We all did well, just watch, new recruits will be piling up in no time."

Marlow looked up and responded "You really think so?"

"Of course, when am I wrong?"

Marlow blushed, for he thought highly of Caden, and the two floated up on the table, using Gravity magic, to get a drink, because they are too small to reach the counter being bunnies

Arcadia, knowing of Marlow's secret feelings towards Caden, whispered to Hayle, "I ship it" and, after the two shared a good laugh, everyone went back to their own business.


	2. A Skirmish with Peak

_Chapter 2 - A Flashback; A Skirmish with The Peak of the Daunting Mountain_

Many think that when the small town of Gokenomura was destroyed, it was a natural cause, such as an earthquake, catapulting it into the ocean, but there is a lot of dispute, especially with the odd facts that there were no complete buildings in the ocean and there were no survivors. The real cause to the disaster, unknowingly to the public, was at the hand of a dark guild known only as Daunt, headed by a Psychic wizard Ahiri Takoba. The guild used to be under the more powerful guild known as Grimoire Heart until that guild was defeated by unknown reasons. The wizard who destroyed the town itself was Orlone Hakamiro, who uses Dissociation magic to completely tear apart the entire town. The guild was unsuccessful, however, for their main goal was actually to find Arcadia and, more importantly, her phoenix Hayle.

When the magical adventuring crew, Vagabond Band, consisting of Marlow, Caden, Chiron, Arcadia, and Hayle, learned of the town's destruction, they were in the city of Magnolia celebrating the Harvest Festival. All four were so distraught after hearing the news, for among the casualties were both Marlow's parents and Caden's parents, along with his two younger sisters. Arcadia, however, lost no parents, that she knew of, because she and Hayle were both orphans. They were extraordinarily sad, but couldn't find it in their hearts to visit the ruins of the newly destroyed village. However, they were able to recover and carry on with their adventures.

Flash-forward eleven months, and the Vagaband Band's first incursion with Daunt see, when Daunt attacked Gokenomura, they actually took a single prisoner hostage to find Arcadia and her phoenix; the hostage being the group's friend Milo Franz. Ahiri's psychic abilities make interrogations easy, for he can not only physically force you to say whatever he wants, but he can also read your mind. At the guild's headquarters in the western mountains, Ahiri read that Milo had written to Marlow and that he most recently visited Dawn City, so Ahiri decided to send out Daunt's most prestigious team; Peak of the Daunting Mountain, or simply Peak.

Peak consists of Julius, a takeover magician with a reptilian affinity, Iki Tara, a master at both deadly poisons and beneficial potions, Realaya, an adept at Freeze magic, Abigail, a gifted wizard with the ability to split people's personalities in half to form two, complete people, a technique known as Split magic, and the team's leader Conchord, a wizard who can utilize intense vibrations to split matter apart. The team is extraordinarily powerful, and hasn't, at this point, lost a single battle.

Ahiri, with a secret agenda, sent the Peak to Dawn City to both destroy our four wizard protagonists, and to secure their phoenix. Although they got the information they needed from Milo, they decided to bring the hostage as a bartering chip. That is where the chapter begins.

In an alleyway outside of a bar, Marlow was chasing after Arcadia "Hey Arcadia, you need to stop it with the alcohol, there are no unicorns in this city."

"What, 'hic' you can't tellin' me what is going on, 'hic' you stupid idiot."

Caden caught up with Marlow and said, "I knew I could hold my liquor better than her, I guess that means Arcadia lost the bet."

Marlow responded "Well that was fun and all, but now we gotta find her, where could she have run off to now." Marlow was worried, especially since this was the team's first time in Dawn City. This mining city, also known as the jewel of the west coast of Fiore, was huge and easy to get lost in.

The two turned around the corner, but caught no glimpse of ," Marlow continued, "how are we going to find a drunk in a mining town?"

"Well, you should never gamble. You always lose one way or another."

"I didn't start the bet, you did. Are you sure you're not drunk?"

"No, I am perfectly OK."

"How could you even hold that much alcohol, being such a tiny rabbit?"

"I'm awesome." Caden said, then he passed out.

"Ah great," Marlow muttered to himself, "better find Chiron, he's better at finding things than me."

Marlow turned back into a human and carried Caden's unconscious body back to the hotel that they were staying at. The air was cold and started to snow. _Serves the two right, they were just drinking barrels of that booze to piss me off. Idiots, _Marlow thought to himself.

Then he heard a voice.

"A fine mess you're in, huh stranger?"

Marlow turned around to see an woman, of about 25 years of age. "Yeah, umm I guess."

"How would you like me to find your drunken girlfriend, hmm?"

"Uhh, she's not my, uh, girlfriend. I don't li-, uhhh, she's too crazy. We're...friends"

"I see... Well my offer still stands."

_What the hell_, Marlow thought, then he said, "Let me drop off my rabbit. I'll be right back."

"Alright, do hurry."

Marlow ran to the hotel and saw Chiron reading a large novel. He saw Caden's passed out body and just silently nodded his head in disapproval. "I lost Arcadia and Hayle," Marlow informed, "I'll go find them real quick, be back soon."

"Alright" Chiron said softly.

Marlow ran back to the mysterious woman so fast that he slipped on a patch of ice he didn't notice before. Luckily, he caught himself in mid-air and floated, causing him to turn back into a rabbit. Marlow got back on his small feet and thought on how to explain to the lady how he is now a rabbit.

"That was fast."

Marlow turned to see the lady sitting on some crates in an alleyway, and she continued talking, saying "Now where was this friend of yours when she wandered off."

Both were stunned when they heard a yell, telling them that, "Ahh, the unicorn's mother-in-law impaled me, send help."

"Evidently that way." Marlow said, and immediately thought that maybe beer wasn't the only thing Arcadia had drank this night.

The two ran off in that direction and Marlow asked "By the way, I didn't catch your name."

"Oh yes, sorry, I am Realaya; Realaya Yoren."

"Hello, I'm Marl-"

Marlow's words were cut off and he suddenly felt an odd chill in his throat, preventing him from talking. Then, he noticed that his body began to freeze up, and he couldn't move anymore.

"Thank you ever so kindly for finding your friend and her bird." Realaya said with a wicked grin, and a blindfold went over Marlow's head.

"Oh! Oh the humanity! I am to die here!" Arcadia said, clutching at an invisible wound. Hayle flew in and simply said "That's what you get for drinking a barrel full of beer."

"I know, death." Arcadia said coldly, "I invite it."

Hayle simply perched on a rooftop and stared dumbfoundedly. Then suddenly, there came a voice from down the street

"Give me that bird and no one will get hurt."

Hayle and Arcadia both turned to see a woman who, oddly, seemed to have a myriad of frost gather around her footsteps. Further away, the duo saw Marlow's frozen body.

"What isn you doing with...uhh Hayle, sir?" Arcadia asked

The woman simply disregarded her in her drunken stupor and proceeded to the phoenix

"You're a wizard, aren't you?" Hayle proceeded to ask, "What have you done to Marlow?"

"Something you'll wish I'd done to you when I'm through with you."

Arcadia interrupted "Hayle, walk away, those dude ain't gonna get you, they, uhh, gotta get through me first." Then she shot a stream of fire at the nearby building. "How are there so many of you dudes?"

"Honey, I think it's time you've gone to bed, and I'm a woman."

Hayle flew away in fear of this mysterious woman, and the woman muttered a curse to herself, for she would not catch the phoenix flying away at this rate. The woman only wished she had followed the rabbit-boy to see where they were staying. Hayle, however, was frightened. She was no use in a fight, and had little control over her fire power.

"What you call me?" Arcadia asked in her drunken state.

"I didn't...I didn't actually call you anything. What's wrong with you?" The woman asked

"You asked for it." Then Arcadia tried to burn the woman with her fire.

The woman appeared unscathed, then said "I am Realaya, of the Peak of the Daunting Mountain, I am a Freeze wizard, and you are wasting my time."

And before Realaya could do anything, Arcadia passed out and the short battle was over.

Marlow awoke from apparently being unconscious. He didn't remember being unconscious, but he was, at some point. He was tied up and his face was buried in the cold, dirty floor of somewhere as equally cold, and damp. Then his memory slowly came back. He had been frozen somehow by this woman whom he met in the city. _Darn, I really thought I could trust this person this time_, Marlow thought, then made a mental note on how people are cruel. He looked around, and seemed to be in some sort of cellar containing, of course, barrels of beer. There were people there, however. There was a small, black-haired girl, a tall man with a goatee silently leaning in the corner. There was that woman, Realaya, there was Arcadia, passed out, of course, and there was a small man tied up in the middle of the room. _Wait a minute, _Marlowthought, _It couldn't be…no, it's Milo, from Gokenomura?_

"Ahh, splendid. The boy's awake." Realaya spoke, "I do believe some introductions are in order. You know you're friend, Hophead was it, no...it was Hothead. Evidently, she _was _indeed drugged. Drugged by my associate. He's not here, of course, no. He's after your other friends. Oh, I'm getting ahead of myself. This lad in the corner is Julius, and this young girl here is Abigail. I'm sure you know this man, I believe he was your friend back in the old days. Say hello."

"What have you done to Arcadia and Milo?!" Marlow demanded

"Oh...nothing, not yet, of course."

"What do you want with us?"

"Well, Arcadia here isn't gonna wake up for a good couple of hours, that is if I don't kill you all first, so I guess I'll have to barter with you. Long story short, give me your phoenix, and you all live"

"What do you want with Hayle?"

"Nothing that concerns you."

"I think it does concern be, considering I'm here and tied-"

The girl, Abigail, interrupted, "Realaya here isn't our leader, and _he_ is the only one who knows the plan in its entirety, besides his superior; our guild master, so you'll get no information from us."

Realaya continued "We only want information from you, and we aren't afraid to go to extreme measures." She said as she scratched Marlow's arm and drew blood, although he made no noise.

"Well," Marlow answered, "Considering I have no idea where I am or who you are, I can't honestly help out either. I do believe Hayle is a bird, and birds fly. If she ran off, which I'm assuming she did, her whereabouts are as endless as the sky itself."

"Clever," Realaya said coldly, "But that answer won't save your life. Try again."

Marlow then remembered, _Wait,I'm a wizard_, then used his gravity magic to flip everyone into the air, including himself, to disorient them. These guys meant business, and Marlow was not a very proficient entrepreneur, so he cheated. Being tied up, Marlow couldn't use his hands for anything besides making a magic circle, so he forced the three goons into the back wall and hit Arcadia with a large brick sitting nearby. This woke her up, and made her angry. Milo, for whatever reason, was still in the middle of the room and Marlow had to figure out a way to get him away from the other wizards.

Milo woke up, stood up, and, noticing Marlow, said "Sorry, sorry, sorry. I lead them to you. They read my mind. I'm a horrible person." Then, Realaya split apart into two different Realayas, both working to freeze Milo and Marlow (although one of them was acting really seductively and the other was just really angry). Marlow manipulated gravity to untie the rope, then stood up, a full 1.5 meters, and said "Nobody hurt my friends or you're going to be...pushed...into the ground...or something." It sounded cooler in his head.

The angry Realaya took notice on how the rabbit actually had some modicum of power, he was not to be underestimated. "Julius," she said, "Tear the place down."

The sexy Realaya said, "Do it brick...by...little...brick." then moaned.

The man in the corner nodded, and suddenly began a sort of transformation. A bright light filled the room, and when it died down, the man was replaced by a red wyvern.

"Takeover magic." Marlow said to himself as the wyvern let loose a burst of fire. The heat was overwhelming, but at least all of the frozen-y stuff the Freeze wizard had used melted. Marlow looked around again and and, evidently, the other two, or three, wizards had left. Now it was only him, a passed out Arcadia, and a fire-breathing dragon-looking thing. The other wizards took Milo, or he burnt to a crisp, for he was no longer in the room. Marlow stood up and shouted "Hey, if you can hear me, I'm not gonna let you hurt my friends."

"Yes, I can hear you," the wyvern roared, "and you will be naught but ash beneath me."

Julius let loose another stream of fire, igniting the beams supporting the building they were under. Marlow attempted to push him up into the ceiling, but the wyvern took control of the scenerio and crashed into Marlow with his teeth. Marlow recovered, and pushed him into the ground. He manipulating a burning barrel of beer towards him, and the alcohol ignited and exploded near his face. The wyvern recoiled into the corner and slowly shrank back into a man. Arcadia was still unconscious.

Julius spoke, "I underestimated you, it seems. That won't happen again. Our plans have yet to come into fruition, so if you want your friend to live, all we ask is a single phoenix's feather."

"Why do you need it?"

"That is beneath you, I'm afraid. My associates have scattered, evidently, but should you wish to bargain, I was told you'd find us in the only abandoned mine by the shore. Bring friends. See you soon" and with that, he turned into a velociraptor-looking thing, and dashed off. The cellar was now engulfed in flame, and Arcadia was still passed out. _I hope that drug isn't lethal_, Marlow thought pessimistically. Then he lifted Arcadia with his magic and floated the two of them up the stairs. When they reached it, Marlow saw that there were in some brewery factory. Obviously, it was after hours, so there was no one working. This was good news, since no one would be burned alive, _Save maybe us_ Marlow thought. After they dashed out of the building, the realized they were on the edge of Dawn City, and no firefighters were there yet. This was good news, because if they ran fast enough, they would not be charged with arson. After dashing through the now-chilled streets of the mining town, they finally reached the hotel and saw it ransacked. Chiron and Caden were missing, but Hayle was there.

"Thank goodness you came back. Where are Caden and Chiron?" Hayle asked.

"I was hoping here." Marlow said.

"Oh you have Arcadia, is she alright?"

Marlow checked for a pulse and found one, saying "She's alright, she just got drugged, but she's not dead."

"Oh good."

"I am fairly certain those dark wizards who attacked me earlier have both Chiron and Caden. They have Milo Franz from Gokenomura as well. They wanted to arrange a trade-off for you."

Hayle looked aghast, "Why me?"

"They didn't appear to know, they said they were taking orders from a higher source. I think they belong to a dark guild."

"Where did they say they would be?"

"A really fun abandoned mine."

"Ah, and when did they want us?"

"Within the next 24 hours is my guess, or they'll kill our friends."

"We're actually going to this thing? With me? Isn't that a little… dangerous?"

"Nothing we can't handle. You'll be fine."

"OK, OK. So...Milo's here?"

"Yeah, I don't know why either. Maybe they kidnapped him before the village fell."

"Oh, OK."

"Any other questions?"

"No, I'm all caught up. Although we should wait for Arcadia to wake up."

"That's what I'm thinking, the one guy said 'Bring friends'."

And so they waited. They waited for hours. Arcadia was as passed out as a hypnotist's subject, so Marlow offered to throw her out of the window. Hayle agreed, and Marlow pushed her out of the window, only to suspend her in mid-air inches from the ground. She woke up with a sudden jolt, and screamed "AHH! What the HELL!? MARLOW I SWEAR YOU"RE DE-" and her words were cut off as she suddenly remembered the magnificent wonders of the widely acclaimed hangover. Her headache was incredibly strong, and she let out a pained moan. Marlow floated her back up to the hotel room and attempted to catch her up to speed. Arcadia's plagued mind only caught so much, but it was enough to decide who needed burning. After they were all set, the three set out to save their friends.

Caden woke up on a wooden floor. A rocking, wooden floor. One that smelled like fish. He sit up, and noticed that there was another person tied up. He looked closer, and he saw Chiron. _Oh good_, Caden thought, _Someone can see me save the day from…whatever got us. _He looked on, and saw what seemed to be an apothecary. There was a masked man working on it, and it seemed to be the same masked man who hit Caden and Chiron with that green gas-stuff back at the hotel. Caden, in his magnificent intelligince, yelled "You! Guy! Guy who cowardly drugged us! Prepare to lose for real this time!"

The man responded with a raspy voice, "Oh dear, the potion has worn off. Don't worry, sir, I have more." The man walked over to him and smashed a vial on the ground, emitting the same, green gas. Caden began to feel sleepy again.

Marlow, Arcadia, and Hayle walked up to a sign that said "Keep Out" and then  
"Muffin dumpz" in graffiti.

"This must be the entrance to the mine." Arcadia said.

"Excellent observation. I wonder what gave it away?" Marlow said sarcastically.

"The keep out sign, I thought you were smarter." Arcadia said obliviously.

The trio entered the mouth of the cave and beheld the shapes of five people; one tied up on the ground. Upon closer inspection, Marlow saw Realaya, Abigail, and two versions of the same person Marlow hadn't met before. He, or both of he, was tall, strong, and wore leather armor. Milo was there, tied up.

"Ah at last," the tall man said, "I am all too eager to tear the flesh from your pathetic corpses!"

"Calm down, me," The other guy said, "Allow me to introduce both of us. We are Conchord, the Peak's leader. I'm sure you've met Abigail, the proprietor of this split phenomena." and then he let out a monk-like "hmmmmm."

"I'm sure you know of our demands." Realaya said.

"Tell me! Where are our other friends?" Marlow yelled.

"Oh, them? Elsewhere. We can't have too many people on your side."

Evil Conchord then added "Give us the bird and no one dies… painfully"

"Tell me, what are you going to do with Hayle?" Arcadia asked.

Monk Conchord then said, "I suppose it would put your mind at peace if we told you. Our master says she is necessary to complete an age old incantation that would give us unlimited power."

"Why do you need Hayle? That Julius person said you only needed a feather to complete it." Marlow said

Monk Conchord then said, surprised "Julius, what does _he_ know? He's too far below anyone to know that information."

"So you don't know what the incantation does, then?"

"Enough out of you, the window of opportunity is closing before we rip apart your friend." Evil Conchord said.

Marlow was confused. These events didn't add up, but Marlow would be damned if he couldn't save all of his friends. He was, however, outnumbered, 4-plus to 2-and-a-half, plus, whoever might be hiding elsewhere. Marlow did notice that Julius was no where to be seen, and that worried him. Marlow was getting anxious, but this wouldn't be the toughest challenge he had faced. A plan began to formulate in his head as he prepared a good monologue.

"No," Marlow said stubbornly, "I won't stand to see any of my close friends hurt, and your threats and bargains show that you lack character and compassion worthy of my consideration. You mean nothing to me, and for that…" and, as if it were choreographed in his head (which it was), Marlow floated the quartet into the air.

"Arcadia!" Marlow yelled, "Get the young girl first so we only have to deal with three of them." and Arcadia nodded as she went in pursuit of Abigail. The Peak, unable to cope with their loss of gravity, stumbled in the air.

"You insolent brat!" Realaya shouted, "You'll pay for that!" And she concentrated her frozen aura on Hayle. It was, however, in vain, due to the fact that phoenixes are, indeed, on fire.

"Idiot" Hayle screeched.

Marlow yelled, "Hayle, look for Caden and Chiron, but come for us if you spot trouble."

Arcadia advanced to Abigail as the young girl said "If you think I devote my practice to solely my magical craft, you are solely mistaken." Then, she drew a sword and advanced towards Arcadia. Marlow saw the distracted Realaya and tried to force her into the ground, but not until he heard a strange humming noise. Marlow looked towards the Evil Conchord, who instantly shattered the ground beneath Marlow, trapping him in a hole. The Monk Conchord was meditating.

"Realaya, freeze the opening of the crevice and cut off his oxygen!" Evil Conchord demanded, but not until Marlow floated out of the hole and pushed him into the ground. Monk Conchord looked up and shattered a section of the ceiling, raining rocks down on Marlow, but he just sustained them in the air. Meanwhile, Arcadia shot a steady stream of fire towards Abigail, but she deflected it with her sword. With a deft maneuver, she swung her sword towards Arcadia, just missing her head. Distracted, Arcadia felt a sudden chill on her feet.

"Now I've got you." Realaya yelled, but Arcadia simply melted the ice and hit Realaya with a fierce fiery blast, knocking her cold, or hot. Anyway, she's beat.

"Behind you!" Marlow shouted, acknowledging Abigail's sword coming down, but it was too late. She was struck with a blow that caused her to fall back. Marlow was distracted for a second, and he felt a humming sensation in the air around him, he quickly dodged to his left and let a boulder land on Abigail. She wasn't prepared for it, and Arcadia came back with a large bout of fire she couldn't deflect. Abigail was knocked out. The two  
Conchords took an awkward glance at each other, then merged into one Conchord with a poof.

"I'm two for two, Marl-ey, how many you defeated?" Arcadia taunted.

"If it wasn't for me, you'd have none."

"Ah whatever, I'm about to be three for three."

Conchord stared at them cold and patiently, then said "You underestimate me, they don't make leaders for nothing."

Arcadia and Marlow looked at each other and nodded, then Marlow collapsed the gravity around Conchord, pushing him and a section of the cave's floor a couple meters into the ground. Arcadia pushed a stream of fire repetitively into the dark wizard, causing him to kneel. In a final act of retaliation, he tried to shatter the ground beneath them, but Marlow's gravity manipulation caused the two to float. It was no use to Conchord. Exhausting the last of his magic energy, Conchord collapsed into the ground, accepting defeat.

Arcadia was the first to break the victorious silence. "Where are you hiding our friends, loser. We got places to be."

Milo spoke up, "Thanks for saving me. Now if I might interject, I'm not a fan of being tied up." and Arcadia untied the knot.

Conchord spoke up, "You have won the day, so my dark intentions will not be satisfied today. You deserve to know, there is a boat out on sea. Julius and Iki are there, guarding your friends. You'll have to go through them."

"Alright," Marlow spoke, "Now I'm going to get the authorities. They'll clean this up. Goodbye."

"To be honest," Conchord added, "I had no strong affinity towards my darker feelings, but I'll have no compassion for the likes of you. You, who only lives to uphold the society who betrayed us. My guild's goals are yet to be met because of you. They will hunt you down"

"Yeah, whatever. If you guys are the strongest, the rest'll be pushovers." Arcadia stated.

Milo, Marlow, and Arcadia walked out of the mine to greet up with Hayle again. They caught her up, and Milo told them of the guild's location in the mountains near Ceruleo. But first things first, Chiron and Caden needed to be saved from reptile guy and drug guy. First thing's _before_ things first, however, they needed the authorities.

Caden woke up again in the same place, and for whatever reason Chiron was still sleeping. _How much does he need? Gosh. _Caden thought, then he remembered that brains worked over brawn in these situations. Caden passed through his bindings with the Deception magic and was untied, although his blade was missing. he used silence, got up, and saw it on the table. Weird Guy was nowhere to be seen, but Caden's Moonstabber, a thin, black dirk that can drain the magic energy of its victims, was on the table. He grabbed it and cut Chiron's rope, then yelled in his ear an intangible word to wake him up. Chiron was, undoubtedly, pissed, but remained quiet despite Caden's yelling, which, surprisingly, alerted no one. Chiron put a finger on his lips to signify silence. Caden understood, and he scouted the room behind the door out of the apothecary-slash-apparent-hold. Chiron looked around and found his scythe on the floor. He entered a hall with a few doors and a stairwell that apparently led out of the hold. Caden signed an "All Clear" and used his ability to turn invisible. He passed through the door and saw three people on deck. Scratch that, one of them was a dinosaur. There was also that creepy guy from earlier; the one with the drugs. Caden overheard them talking.

"It seems that the rest of our team has faltered." Creepy said.

"We need to head out before they catch up with us. There gonna be looking for the hostages." a sailor-looking guy said.

"No, let them come." Dinosaur said.

"Any reason, Julius. I fail to see how we'll take them if they've managed to defeat Conchord and the others." Mr. Creeps said.

"I am of the belief I can overpower them." apparent Julius said.

"What! But my ship-." Sailor said.

"Necessary casualties for our goal, North-Eye. You wish to be a part of our master's 'perfect world', do you not?" Julius said.

"Whatever you say. Julius. I can't wait to get my hands on that girl of theirs; oh the...experiments she'll be a pleasure to test on." Sir Creepostatle The Third Said.

Caden had learned enough information. He headed back to Chiron who, evidently, knocked out a handful of sailors silently. Vorlue was with him. _Neat_, Caden thought.

"How many on the top deck?" Chiron asked.

"Just three, and one's just a sailor I hope."

Vorlue interjected, "We can take em' by storm, buddy. Three on three sounds fun, am I right?"

"Hmm, perhaps." Chiron added, "But subterfuge is possible at this point. They've yet to know of our position. Caden could sneak up and-"

His words were cut off as he heard a man's voice, yelling "Aye, I heard voices below deck."

"Guess not." Caden muttered, with Vorlue grinning.

"Patience, we may be disregarded as sailors." Chiron explained, with Vorlue looking disgruntled.

A new voice; C-to-the-R-to-the-E-to-the-E-to-the-P-to-the-Y, said "Hmm..yes, the poison has worn off by now. It seems our prisoners need taking care of." Vorlue started grinning again. He ripped off the door, then went straight for the sailor. He picked him up, flew over to the side of the ship, and threw him overboard. The other two, one of which being a dinosaur still, were stunned. Caden and Chiron rushed toward them in battle, but I-ran-out-of-nicknames-Creeps vanished in mid-air. Chiron emitted a flash of light and appeared to be holding a sword of flame, and he also had a reptilian tail.

"Ah, a wizard of my caliber." Julius the Dinosaur said.

"Actually, I am not of a raptor and more of a demon. I draw power from those I've made pacts with, and currently, I am akin of a Caarln."

"Ah, the reptile-sword-bearer." Julius acknowledged, "Shall we duel?" and the two engaged each other. Caden reached the top deck, where he ran into Orange Creepsicle.

"You've found me. Clever boy. I am Iki Toro of the Peak, and you are…?"

"Oh good, I can stop making dumb nicknames for you. You're creepy. Hi," and Caden fell back into character, "I am the amazing Caden Rikatoya, also known as the cause for your demise." Caden vanished, and then reappeared behind Iki. His Moonstabber came down over him and knocked him back, but he took out a vial of red, sweet-smelling liquid and drank it. Instantly, Iki looked rejuvenated. Caden came at him again, but he threw a mixture at him that burst on impact. A different, orange gas permeated around him, and made him see double, no, octuplets of Creepy Iki. Meanwhile, Julius and Chiron were locked in an intense claw-and-flaming-sword fight. Chiron noticed Vorlue came up to flank him, so he distracted Julius enough for the Vrock to do so.

Julius turned around and struck him with a powerful blow. Vorlue was sent flying back, but not before Chiron's scythe swung and hit Julius, sending him back as well. Vorlue, however, was knocked out, and sent back to the demonic realm. Caden, however, felt really dizzy, so he lunged at whatever Iki was closest. It did, luckily, manage to be the right one, and seeing how Iki had no means of defense, he was pushed overboard. Meanwhile, Julius got back up and confronted Chiron.

"You may have bested me in a two-on-one battle, but I've more tricks up my sleeve. Remember the wyvern?"

"What? No. I've only just met you. I thought you were just a velociraptor. You use Takeover magic then, I presume."

"Yes, and I've something bigger than a wyvern." and Julius was suddenly overtaken by a blinding light. The ship seemed to creak and bust under the tremendous weight that was forming under him, and a mass of writhing, reptilian heads and claws sprung forth, taking up the space of the entire top deck.

"A hydra," Chiron surmised, This should be interesting."

Marlow, Arcadia, Milo and Hayle looked onto the randomly shining boat with complete dumbfoundedness. Of course, as they come to the rescue, a horrible monster appears.

"We should probably take care of that before it eats Caden and Chiron." Arcadia jested.

"Arcadia, let's act seriously. It just might." Marlow stated apprehensively.

"We need to get on deck, and fast. That thing is a four person job." Hayle advised, and the three sat in their boat as they suddenly realized that no of them were nautical adventurers and knew how to board a boat without rope. They just sat there.

Chiron drew powers from Volrue and grew wings. Also, a beak. He flew up and attempted to sever a head of the beast, but if there's one thing to know about hydras, it's that if you cut off one head, two more will take its place. Julius's now-seven heads were breathing fire all around the sinking ship. Caden, sitting at the helm of the ship, noticed the small rowboat with Arcadia and Marlow on it, along with..._Milo? What was he doing here? _But Caden had no time for that; the boat was sinking. Chiron was contemplating how to defeat the beast as its snapping jaws were hunting him down, suddenly, he heard Caden yelling "Hey, Chiron! Marlow and Arcadia are here. We should probably get off of the boat now! This challenge is already overcome! The boat is sinking!" Chiron considered the possibility, when Julius, who apparently overheard them, suddenly was overcome by a blinding light. He shrunk back to his normal size and looked at Chiron, who was confused.

"It seems you're escape has arrived. Goodbye." Julius said calmly.

"But...what are you doing?" Chiron asked.

"The purpose that Daunt has served me is now complete. They mean nothing to me now. I suppose you'll take on their guild now that they're after you. Good luck."

"This doesn't make any sense."

Julius retrieved a small, red feather from his pocket. "Iki retrieved this from your hotel room. This is all I need. Now please do disband the guild. I wish not to invoke the wrath of the Bralam-Alliance (An alliance that many dark guilds are a part of) so if the guild is disbanded, I'll be presumed dead."

Chiron stared at Julius, figuring his plan, but he vanished as soon as Chiron opened his mouth. Caden came from behind him and said "We should probably leave now. Where's Dino-Slash-Dragon Guy?"

"I don't know."

He looked around at the burning wreckage of what used to be Daunt's ship. Masts were struck down and flags were burning. Sailors were emerging from below deck and jumping overboard. Chiron followed Caden as they simply stepped from the now partially sunken boat to the rowboat the others were on. They rowed away from the ship, and just as soon as they got out of range, the ship exploded as the flames reached the powder room.

"Hello" Arcadia said plainly.

"Oh Caden! Chiron, I'm glad you guys made it. Are you alright." Marlow inquired.

"Yeah, We're simply stupendous. Nothing can break us down." Caden boasted.

Arcadia looked towards Marlow and asked "What now?"

"I suppose we need to tear ourselves down a dark guild. What do you guys say?"


	3. A Dance with Daunt

_Chapter 3 - A Continued Flashback; Dance With Daunt! _

The Dark Guild Daunt's guild hall is situated in the mountain chain east of Ceruleo and Gokenomura. The guild hall is situated inside the peak of a tall mountain in the mountain chain known as Mt. Neve. Even though the mountain isn't the tallest in the chain, it is known for its treacherous ice storms so cold, it is said to chill the bones of any unwary traveller, as they lock up and fall off the cliff of the mountain. Mt. Neve is never without snow, as well, making the cliff faces slippery and deady. It is here that our Vagabond Band must travel to defeat the dark guild that has been dogging them so.

"Are we there yet?" Arcadia asked. Hayle pecked her and said "If you dare start that up again, you lose a finger." Everyone laughed. The quintet-and-a-half had been on the road to Ceruleo, then Mt. Neve for most of the day, and the sun was setting. They were only a few hours off.

Chiron was the first to speak, "Marlow, I'd like to ask what our plan is. This is a _whole_ guild that we're about to face. I'd hate to go in without some sort of knowledge as to what we're doing."

"What need are we in of a plan?" Caden spoke, "We're amazing, why not just storm their hall?"

"Plus, we've already dealt with their most powerful members, evidently, and they were sort of pushovers." Arcadia spoke.

"That's true, but you forget where we're off to." Marlow interjected, "Although we may have defeated their strongest _team, _there's still something to be said for some of the guild's independent members I hear, let alone their leader, Ahiri. Plus, their hall is on a frickin' mountaintop. A snowy, icy one. They'll see us coming from a mile away and lay siege in seconds. Chiron's right; we may need a plan."

"Well what do you propose?" Chiron asked.

Marlow turned to Milo and asked "Hey, you were there. Did you get anything of the terrain?"

Milo shook his head. "No," he said, "They gave me a blindfold and some sort of deafening spell. All I know is that it was cold, and also they had me in a torture room of some sort, sorry, sorry."

"Well...what about the guild members? What kind of magic do they use?" Hayle inquired.

Milo looked up again, "Oh! Oh! Their leader uses some sort of psychic magic. He used it to dominate my body and mind." Arcadia snickered, as though some sort of sexual innuendo had been made, and Milo continued. "He can also read minds and use telepathy. That's all I know, sorry."

"Oh no, Milo. That's helpful. Thank you." Marlow said calmly.

Chiron spoke solemnly, "Well…I do know that mind domination is a type of banned spell. I also know that its weakness is awareness, like charm magic. As long as you know he's trying to use it on you, it won't work."

"Ah, I see…" Marlow said, "What else can we do?"

There was a pause, then Arcadia spoke up "Well we don't hafta worry about the snow and cold and stuff. I got fire." and she conjured a small flame with her hand and toyed with it.

"Is there anyone in town who would know about the terrain of the hall or mountain or something?" Marlow asked.

"It's worth a shot, although it might be a little hard." Caden said, and Arcadia snickered. Hayle pecked at her again.

Chiron spoke, "Then I suppose that that is all we can do at this moment in time."

They arrived in Ceruleo late that night, and decided to stay in another hotel before their ascent; preferably one without dark wizards. A slight snow fell on the blossoming sea city. Ceruleo, being close to the mountains, had its fair share of snows, but not too commonly this early in the fall. Cerluleo was situated on a cliff face, similar to how Gokenomura was, but this cliff was lower and mostly cut away into a hill. There was also a large port at the bottom, filled with ships and boats trading from other lands. The brightly colored tents of markets and white-stone buildings of Ceruleo were filled with exotic merchandise, odd trinkets from far-away lands, and all sorts of magical items. But, no shops were open, nor streets filled with life at this hour of the day. The Vagabond Band were exhausted from missing their sleep the night before in their battle, coupled with their long journey south. They found a nice hotel and immediately fell asleep in their consecutive rooms. The next morning, the group ate breakfast in the hotel's lovely continental breakfast room. They planned to send a couple of groups out to search for information regarding Mt. Neve and the Dark Guild Daunt. Caden went with Marlow, Milo stayed at the hotel with Arcadia and Hayle, and Chiron decided to search alone, heading straight for the library.

"So...what exactly are we looking for, Marles?" Caden asked as they traversed the crowded streets. Both had turned into humans momentarily as not to attract any attention from wary eyes.

"I'm not sure, maybe the town hall? The library?"

"How about the bar. Bartenders know all sorts of rumors."

"Of course, leave it to you to suggest the bar." Marlow said with a hint of sarcasm.

"C'mon...you know I'm right. When has bartender given us a false lead?"

"I can count a handful of...uh, nevermind."

"C'mon, I keep saying that, let's go." Caden grabbed his hand and rushed into the direction of the bar.

"Uh...fine. Whatever." Marlow said with a smile.

They arrived at a bar known as The Sea Dragon's Nest. As they opened the door, they saw drunken, rough-type sailors and other unsavory characters. Caden showed know fear as he approached the bartender; a tan, round man with a bald head, large beard, and weird scar on his forehead.

"Hey...how are you, sir?" Caden asked casually.

"What do ye want?" the bartender growled sternly.

"A couple of pints for me and my associate here, please."

"Sure thing, coming right up."

"Quick question; do you know anything about that dark guild up in the mountains?"

"Oh...those rapscallions. Daunt….Yeah, they come in here every so often and rough up the place. Caught 'em stealing once, but they gave me a good thrashing once I hit 'em. Been a thorn in my side fer a while. What's it to ye?"

"Oh, me and my associates were going to horribly obliterate them. Can you tell us any useful information?"

"Of course, if ye can stop 'em."

Marlow smiled and stared in disbelief. _Leave it to Caden to use the bar in every single situation_, he thought. He stared at him, till the bartender gave them their drinks. Marlow took a couple of sips and watched Caden talk with the bartender, whose name was apparently Bill. He got up from his chair to let Caden get the info they needed, and more truthfully to get away from the drunken atmosphere. But as he got up, he dropped his mug and as he saw her in the corner of the bar, alone. In the corner was the purple-haired, young wizard, Clara Dorian.

"Is there any reason we're staying at the hotel?" Milo asked

"To keep you safe from the bad dudes. They might be after you or something, Hayle too, so I decided to stay behind and watch you crazy kids." Arcadia said, "Now stay here, I'm gonna go down to the store to get a book or game or movie lacrima or something. I'll be back. Don't get kidnapped. Bye."

"What, don't...uh don't-" Milo started to say, but it was too late, she was out the door.

"Clara? What are you doing here?" Marlow said, keeping a reasonable distance.

"Oh, hello Marlow. What pleasent weather we're having today." Clara said in her soft, odd voice.

"Oh, yes, I guess. But, what are you doing here?"

"A little dove told me to come here today. It mentioned something about finding you. What a funny coincidence."

"Haha, yeah...funny." Marlow said cautiously, "What do you mean a bird said something about me?"

"A small carrier dove; one from no one I know. But it was right. Hahaha." The laugh said dryly.

Marlow just stared at her dumbfounded for a moment, then Caden came over and was taken aback. "Hey, Clara's here!" he said as he walked closer to her, "When's the last time we spoke, wasn't in-" and he fell on the floor as a dyslexic person might when experiencing a seizure.

"Clara, your magic." Marlow inclined.

"Oh my, I'm sorry." She said as she stepped away from the now convulsing rabbit, and he calmed down, passed out for a moment. Everyone in the bar had been staring oddly, but Marlow calmed them "Nothing to see here, men, just a couple of wizards doing perfectly harmless things." Everyone went back to paying no mind, and Marlow continued to talk with Clara

"What else did this note say, Clara?"

"It said that others would be here in Ceruleo, and we would all be spoken to by our masquerading author."

"Oh, well we got no letter. We're actually here to deal with a dark guild that's been on our tails"

"We? I suppose Arcadia, Hayle, and Chiron are here as well then?"

"Yeah, Milo too. Wierd, huh."

"I concur."

Caden then bolted upright, shook his head to combat a headache, then went back into his bravado self, "I'm back. Clara, I forgive you, it was my fault I went insane. Anyways, our esteemed confedant Bill told me that there are only a handful of members of the dark guild of mention besides our Peak."

"Oh, alright. Tell us Caden" Marlow asked

"OK. There leader, Ahiri, is a psychic wizard. All we need is awareness, like

Chiron said. They also got another person, known as  
Orlone; he doesn't come to the bar often, but he is mentioned frequently. He uses Dissociation magic, a type that tears things apart into mere particles. Lastly, there's just a small group who are responsible for tearing up this bar. They're pathetic, apparently, compared to Peak, and their leader is known as Rilo, a Requipping Archer, or Swordsman, depending on her mood. She wasn't really a threat, just the bartender wanted to take care of her. Lastly, there was Clove, a wizard who could talk with birds, usually used to scout things out. Those guys are the only real threat, because more and more of Daunt's wizards are quitting for some reason. this begs the question; what could scare a dark guild?"

"Did you say Daunt, perchance?" Clara asked politely.

"Yeah, why? Do you know something?"

"Why yes, their guild hall is atop Mt. Neve, if I'm not mistaken. The building they reside in used to…" she drifted off, then continued. "There is a secret tunnel I hear, one from the bottom of the mountain. If you're preparing an attack, I would love to help assist you all, then maybe we'll see the author there."

"Oh! Thanks Clara, you don't know how much that helps." Marlow said excitedly.

".One question; why do you think the letter-writer would be there?"

"Coincidence." Clara said.

The trio returned to the hotel to find Milo and Hayle alone, but thankfully unharmed. Marlow promised he would kill Arcadia. She came back, but, thinking ahead to avoid being yelled at, bought a caramel hard candy; Marlow's favorite. She was forgiven. Chiron came back as well, and everyone was caught up with the presence of Clara. Chiron talked about how he had topographical maps and charts on the area surrounding Mt. Neve, and Arcadia got bored and fell asleep. Everyone planned things out, and decided that they needed everyone to come with; even Milo. Marlow gave him a magical flaming sword for protection. The plan entitled all seven to sneak to the base of the mountain in the night and go through the secret passageway beneath the mountain. There they waited, watching a romantic comedy from a movie lacrima that Arcadia had bought The movie, entitled _Secret Servant_ was about a young millionaire heiress falling in love with a servant to the estate, who was secretly _also_ a millionaire . They laughed. They cried. They had a warm feeling from the happy ending, and, around 7 o'clock, it was time to go. When everyone walked outside, they were hit with a blast of frosty air as the night had gotten inexplicably decided to go on foot as to not alert any of the guild members as easily. After a while of traversing mountains. Around midnight, they had reached the base without alerting anyone

"Ok, guys," Marlow had started, "We need to sneak in there, beat up everyone, and call the guards. I want no dying, please, as usual. We're about to sneak through this passageway Clara told us about that she knows about because...wait, why?"

Clara blushed, "Oh, I knew about it because I knew about this building. It used to belong to a...well, a cult, you see, so they had a safe escape in the event the guard came. Evidently, the dark guild defeated them and took over. I did a lot of research on this cult."

"Oh, OK. Any questions?"

Before we continue, I understand that Clara seems really untrustworthy, but our dear friends are right to trust their friend, as she occasionally drifts in and out of the Vagabond band. She does not belong to a dark guild.

"Nope, let's trash the place." Arcadia blurted.

"We'll defeat them before they know what hit them." Caden promised.

"Alrighty then, let's go."

The traversed up to precarious stone steps in the tunnel leading up to the hall. The stone was cracked and crumbling, but thankfully, there were no traps. Marlow, not taking any chances with the ruined steps, floated up the stair, and every was envy they had no Gravity magic. Luckily, everyone reached the top in one piece. Above them, a wooden trap-door loomed, leading into the dark guild's hall

"Caden, use your magic to scout out the area." Marlow asked.

"Sure thing."

Caden, assisted by Marlow's floating, passed through the door, invisible. As soon as Caden was on the ground above them, he looked around. He saw a huge stone hall with elaborate granite arches. To the north, he saw a huge archway, leading into a hallway, and to the south, he saw a huge, spiral stairway leading up. The hall itself had but one door, probably a storage room, and it was filled with tables and, on the far wall, a bar with two drunken patrons and a bartender. Caden ran over silently and avoided detection. He took the hit of his blade and hit the two patrons on the head, knocking them out. The bartender looked shocked at the random people falling out of their chairs unconscious, then, he saw a small, robed rabbit with a knife fade into existence.

"Surrender or die!" Caden hollowly threatened, but the bartender just passed out; scared.

"Oh, good."

Caden ran back to the trap door in the hall and opened it. "All clear." He said, and everyone slowly floated out via Gravity magic.

"OK, everyone split up into two groups and look for our prime targets; Ahiri, Orlone, Rilo, and Clove. The rest will be easy to take care of. Chiron, Milo, follow me. We're going north, through that archway. Caden, you take Arcadia, Hayle, and guys go up the stairs. Good luck."

"Pshh, I don't need luck; I'm awesome." Caden gloated.

"Yeah right, and I'm a decent lady." Arcadia muttered to Hayle, and they laughed.

"Guys, we are taking down an _entire_ guild, be careful." Marlow said.

"Don't worry." Caden said.

"Alright, let's go."

Marlow, Chiron, and Milo followed the hallway as it turned right and went down a flight of stairs. Chiron invoked the power of Addox, the Caarln demon, and was equipped with a sword of flame. "Ah, neat. Just like mine!" Milo said, but Chiron quickly silenced him with a finger over his lips.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry." Milo apologized. Both Marlow and Chiron urged him to not apologize so loud and instead just be quiet. He did, but whispered, "Sorry."

The stairs led to a huge, wooden door; presumably the guild hall's entrance. There were a couple of side doors towards the south part of the wall, and a small hallway to the north. Marlow took to the side of the right door to the south and quickly opened it. Inside, he simply just saw chairs, tables, and other stored furnishings. Chiron went to the other door, and when he opened it, he saw beds, dressers, vanities, and other bedroom furniture. The two returned, and Chiron said, "With all of these furnishings, one can assume the guild's barracks are there." and he pointed at the small hallway.

"Alright, then. Let's check it out." Marlow spoke.

The three went into the hallway, saw a corner with some sort of dumbwaiter, turned left, and went up a set of stairs. As they reached the top, Milo tripped on the top stair and scraped his knee. "OWWW" he screamed, and almost immediately, the heard voices in the two rooms saying "Who was that? Who's there?"

"Sorry, sorry. My bad." Milo apologized.

"Alright," Chiron said, "Let us dance." Half-awake dark wizards filled the room to get a glimpse of the intruders. They all met in the hallway, until an woman requipped a bow and shouted, "Get the intruders!"

Meanwhile, Caden went ahead to scout out the upstairs area until he was in a large, stone hallway with a multitude of doors and, at the end of it, a grand balcony. He went forward carefully, until he passed a door he heard voices in. He passed through the door and found himself in a large archive or library of sorts. In it, he found three people talking. One had a bird, and he assumed it was the wizard Clove. He listened to their conversation.

"-couldn't find them anymore. They're not in the city, I'm afraid." Probably Clove had said as she fed her crow pieces of corn

"AFRAID! AFRAID! AWWK!" the crow squawked

"Well find them again. We need that phoenix of theirs to build our perfect world. Daunt must stand atop all other dark guilds, and if a measly group of wizards such as that pathetic lot were to evade us, our dreams are not to come to fruition." The scary-looking large man with a pale face and sullen eyes had said.

"Ahiri, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. The Desolation Incantation. I'm afraid-"

"You musn't be afraid! I've worked too hard at this to simply give up, and if lives get lost, who cares?"

"I didn't brave that trap-infested dungeon just to let you _kill _everyone. I want power as much as you do, but what's the point if everyone is dead? I can barely stand for you destroying that entire village, Orlone, but this...this is too much."

"You lack aspirations child, look into my eyes now…"

"No! I won't fall for your damn psychic power. I'm going to bed."

The man who apparently was Ahiri stopped her, "You do know that those wizards are probably on their way here as we speak. They'll see a dark guild and won't care how many people its killed. They'll try to stop us nonetheless."

"So? Fight them yourself! I quit, dammit!"

"I QUIT! I QUIT! AWWWK!"

The tall, silent man in the hood spoke up, "I will find them, master. Do not wor-"

"Wait, Wait a moment" Ahiri said suddenly, "I sense a presence. They may be here."

"Fine," Clove murmured, "They'll be after me too, I guess, but don't you think that I'm helping you. I'm just fighting to save my own skin."

"Hmm, it seems our intruder is in this room." Ahiri spoke, then he raised his voice, "Caden, is it? I can read your mind. You're invisibility has no effect on me." He looked back at the two and shouted, "Get him!"

"Yes, master."

"Whatever."

Caden faded back into visibility, and the two peons were stunned at the cloaked rabbit. Caden opened his mouth to speak, "I...uhh, I'm gonna get my friends, I mean...ummm. I will defeat you with my hands tied behind my back." Caden turned and passed through the wall back into the hallway. He heard a shout yelling, "After Him!"

Caden ran back into the hall to see Arcadia and Clara. Arcadia questioned, "Is it all clear or what?"

The door disintegrated, or so it seemed. n any event, the door was no more, and in its doorway, two figures came through. "No, Arcadia. No it is not all clear."

Marlow flipped up a handful of wizards and knocked them off their feet, knocking them out. Chiron rushed towards whom he presumed to be Rilo, and engaged her in a sword/scythe fight. Her bow was requipped, and in its place, there were two shining swords. Milo was swordfighting with a wizard with another sword and a funny hat. The wizard struck Milo with a couple of side swipes and the a lunge, but Milo, unknowing how to use a sword, clumsily bashed it aside. The wizard was quickly, however, and hit Milo atop the head with the blunt of his blade, knocking him out fairly easily

"Give up." Chiron threatened Rilo.

"Make me, punk." She responded, but as she was taunting, she was sent aback by Chiron's scythe. "Why you little…" she muttered, but Chiron was too quick. He knocked Clove's head with a quick strike, she parryed with her swords, but Chiron took his flaming sword and struck her with it easily; she was out cold. Marlow was surrounded by a vast multitude of wizards, striking him with various mediums of painful magics.

"Hey, Chiron!" Marlow shouted, "If you wanna summon one of those demons, that would be welcomed!" and he flipped the wizards with weapons around him. Chiron nodded, and let out a pained yell as a huge black door appeared. Everyone stared in awe as a large, reptilian humanoid clad in black and red leather emerged. "I am Addox." he stated calmly, "And you are all doomed."

"Please, no killing. Tell him no killing, thank you." Marlow pleaded

Chiron, losing a vast amount of magical energy summoning the demon in short notice, collapsed to the floor. Addox took upon him his flaming sword and extended it into a sort of flame whip. He flailed it and caught a vast multitude of dark wizards in its clutches. Many tried to retaliate with their spells, but Addox appeared immune. He yelled a bellowing roar, and the entire room was engulfed in flame. Some dark wizards ran out of the hall down, but most were knocked out, drained of their magical energy. Chiron was out as well. "Thank you...kindly" Chiron muttered weakly, and the Caarln demon turned his head and said "You are welcome, rest up now. You didn't prepare yourself to open my door."

"I'm sorry." Chiron said, "I will be more careful." And with that, Addox went back to the demonic plane. Marlow, who was generally unscratched, stood among the passed out bodies of wizards, and he walked up to Chiron.

"Are you alright?" he asked.

"I'm fine…I'm fine. Let's help the others."

"No, no. You need to rest and take care of Milo. I'll be alright."

"Are you sure you don't need my help?"

"I'm alright." Marlow spoke, smiling, "I'll be back."

"Understood."

Chiron went over to an unconscious Milo and sat down, weak. Marlow ran up the hall to reunite with his companions. As he ran through the empty, stone halls, he could hear the sounds of a skirmish above him. He rushed up the stairs and found Clara, Arcadia, and Caden fighting whom he had assumed to be Rilo, Orlone, and Ahiri. Arcadia wove a thread of fire towards Orlone. Caden had engaged Rilo with Moonstabber as she summoned a multitude of crows from the balcony at the end of the hall. Caden was assaulted by a menagerie of birds pecking him. Clara stood back, focusing her Insanity magic towards Ahiri, who was just standing there, studying.

"I'm here, guys. Watch Out!" Marlow yelled as he sent a wave of gravity forcing down. The flock of birds lost their ability to fly, and everyone else fell to the ground.

"Ahh, the Gravity lagomorph I've heard so much about. You shall be mine." Ahiri spoke as his eyes glowed, but it had no effect.

"Psychic Domination's weakness is awareness. Your spell has no effect on me." Marlow yelled as the others resumed their fighting.

"So be it." Ahiri said as he pushed Clara into Arcadia, who had just avoided being disassociated by Orlone. Arcadia lost her sanity, and began to spin in circles. Marlow could see what was going on, and surely, Arcadia had fallen for Ahiri's glance.

"Destroy them." He had said, "They've no place in our perfection."

Arcadia let loose a rush of flames around the three of them. Caden went through the wall, and Marlow ran towards the balcony, drawing towards him Rilo and Arcadia. Clara stayed back, distraught looking.

"Arcadia, hey. Fight it. Please. I don't know how this works, but...Don't...kill...me."

Arcadia let loose more fire, and more birds came from atop the mountain bluff over the large balcony. Marlow tried grounding the birds, but there were too many. Marlow cowered in fear. The birds appeared to fly towards Ahiri, but Orlone, by his side, disintegrated them as they came close

"Hayle!" Marlow yelled in pain, "Fix Arcadia!"

"Sure thing," the phoenix had said, "Hey, Arcadia. You look dumb."

Arcadia looked at her and engulfed the bird in an intense flame. Rilo looked upset with Arcadia, up until she learned that the flames were futile to a phoenix.

"Wow, you _are_ dumb as well. You can probably just not be dominated if you _try._" Hayle commented condescendingly. Marlow was confused at the choice of words Hayle chose. Last he checked, that's not how friends are made. Marlow grounded the birds, but also Hayle in the process. The phoenix walked up to Arcadia and pecked her in the eye.

"You're being dominated." Hayle said, and Arcadia snapped out of the spell with a "That's what she said."

"Ah, great. Thanks Hayle." Marlow spoke.

Rilo looked at the fire in Arcadia's eyes and ran over to the railing of the balcony and jumped. Just as Marlow was about to try and save her, he saw that she had not tried to attempt suicide, but instead landed on a large bird. Rilo had a look of determination on her face, but she seemingly forgot all about Marlow's magic. She was grounded.

"I'm terribly sorry; it is my master's will."

Marlow pushed the two remaining wizards towards the balcony, along with Clara and Caden. Orlone tried to disassociate Marlow, but he dodged and floated the tall wizard into the air and off his feet. Arcadia let loose a blast of fiery doom upon Orlone, but he broke loose and dodged. He collapsed a segment of the roof onto Arcadia, and the rubble caught her and trapped her, knocking her out. Caden snuck up behind Orlone and hit him with his blade, draining some power, but Orlone had more to spare. He disassociated the ground beneath Caden, and he fell into the hall.

"Caden!" Marlow shouted, then looked at the Disassociation wizard, "Now you're done." Ahiri simply stood there, unaffected by Clara's insanity.

Marlow looked at Orlone and forced him into the ground. He retaliated by trying to destroy the segment of the balcony Marlow was standing on. Instead of falling, Marlow floated there over the cliff. He dragged Orlone towards the end as he struggled to not fall off of the mountainside. Orlone had fallen in the whole he had created, but as soon as he was out of grabbing distance of any ledge, Marlow suspended him in mid-air. Orlone was defeated.

"I'm sorry, master. I have failed." Orlone spoke forlornly.

Marlow looked at Ahiri as he simply stood there. He turned to Clara and hit her upside the head, knocking her out, for she was drained of her magical energy,

"Lastly, the group's leader." He spoke deeply.

"I'm not gonna let your guild get away with this." Marlow said menacingly, "You've my friends, and I'm afraid you too shall feel their agony You have no power over me; I know your spell."

"You'd be hard-pressed to find a leader with such a glaring weakness. I have other abilities as well, Marlow Melone, son of Gwendolyn and Rathe Melone. I know your memories as well as your thoughts. I know your parents died, would you like to know how?"

"Oh, you're to tell me you know how the village fell. Tell me, then." Marlow said sarcastically as he approached the master.

"Why, of course I know. Orlone here destroyed the village and everyone in it. We did it looking for you and your phoenix. We heard it lived there."

Marlow was taken aback, but the man kept talking.

"So it is your fault all of those people perished in the fall. You and all of your friends."

Marlow was filled with a blind rage as he attempted to manipulate gravity towards Ahiri to knock him back. The man read his mind and simply stepped aside as he was talking still.

"In any event, the phoenix is necessary for a certain incantation, one that kills any person I deem whenever. It is the key to my salvation; my control of the entire world. Everyone will kneel before me or die."

Marlow got close enough to strike, but his emotions were getting the best of him. He turned human, just to land a punch, but the wizard read his attack and dodged easily. He tried striking left, then right, but ultimately missed. Ahiri struck with a fierce uppercut to Marlow's gut. Marlow keeled over in pain and turned back into a rabbit, drained of magical energy. Ahiri continued talking,

"You and your pathetic band of adventurers won't stand in my way. I've worked too hard at this."

He walked over to Hayle, who, all while the battle ensued, tried to free Arcadia fruitlessly. She saw Ahiri walk over to her as he knelt over and plucked a couple of feathers from the phoenix.

"This is all that is necessary, but I'm afraid I can't keep you all alive." Ahiri said. He pulled out a wicked blade and was about to pierce Hayle. The blade was mere inches from Hayle's neck when a flash of pure energy knocked it out of his hand. Marlow watched as a young, teenage girl with green hair walked into the room accompanied by a shorter boy. She knocked Ahiri aside with a pillar of energy, pushing him aside as she said, "I come to to steal your stuff for my collection to find out that someone already came in to steal your stuff. Uggh...Oh My God, you're weak as a little bitch too. There's probably nothing cool here anyway."

Ten minutes ago, Isa Totaya and her boyfriend Hitari walked up to the mountaintop. They followed the directions of a random letter that they had received from out of no where. The weather was chilly, which gave her an excuse to wear her spike-studded coat. She still wore short-shorts though; she needed the punk look when stealing from a dark guild. Hitari was astonished as to how Isa kept warm, just another reason he was madly in love with her. The two had decided that the letter was an invitation to storm the place to add to Isa's ever-growing stash of magical items that she had hidden from her parents. Isa's parents hated her using magic, and being the little punk she was, she ignored them and decided to take on an entire dark guild for a date. Hitari could scarcely argue.

"My love, these large doors bear ill omen. Shall we stealthily enter, or do it thine way?"

"We're storming this joint. Mom and Dad'll be so pissed."

They pushed opened the door. It creaked with an obnoxious noise, sure to draw attention, but when they looked inside, only unconscious bodies lie around.

"Dammit! Someone's already here. Let's hurry before they take all the freakin' good stuff." Isa yelled

"Aye, m'lady." Hitari said politely

"Stop talking like that for now, Hitari."

Hitari let go a gasp of air, "Yes, Isa."

The two (mostly Isa) stormed through the halls and stairwells to see if anyone was left, just so she could kick their teeth in. She got to the top floor and saw a few knocked out wizards and a guy stabbing a flaming bird that was a _little_ too culty for her taste. She decided to teach the weirdo a thing or two.

Marlow got up to help the rebellious teenager, but she simply said "Nah, we got this. The name's Isa This is Hitari.. You guys didn't steal anything or…"

"No," Marlow said, "We just came to save the bird. Thank you, so much."

"No sweat, you're a rabbit?"

"Uh...yeah."

"Cool."

Hitari, although still an adept, managed to use his Silence magic to stop Ahiri. Isa hit him with a few columns of arcane-energy, and Ahiri yelled, "Fools! You can't deny my dream! I'm so close!"

"You're weird." Isa said, as she kicked him unconscious.

Marlow got up and recovered some of his strength. He pulled up Orlone to the top of the balcony and laid his and Rilo's fainted bodies with Ahiri's. Isa spoke up, "We're gonna loot the place. BRB." Marlow got the rubble off of Arcadia, and she woke up, along with Clara and Hayle. At the other end of the hallway, Chiron arrived with Milo and Caden on his back. Both were still passed out. They had won the battle.

All of the sudden, they heard a voice "What year is it?" It was Orlone.

"What's it to ya." Arcadia yelled viciously.

"Arcadia wait." Marlow said, "Why don't you know what year it is?"

"Ahiri has never been defeated. Not for the seven years I knew him as a child. He used his Psychic Domination on me when I was young. He forced me to do awful things, I remember now. But, I don't remember everything; only the evil acts I preformed. Master…"

"The year is X791." Marlow said with tears in his eyes.

"Then it has been twenty-two years of my life lived in sin."

"You were under his control for that long?" Arcadia gasped.

"Yes. Ahiri took me in as a child and forced me to obey him. He forced me to learn Disassociation magic, and I killed so many people with it. I killed your town. Your people. I'll never be forgiven, but I am sorry."

"Wait, it wasn't your fault." Marlow said, still in the rage Ahiri provoked. The tears were streming now, "It's all that monster's fault, you were just a victim. I...forgive you."

"Even still, I cannot be allowed to live."

Orlone walked over to the balcony and stood on the edge. He looked at Marlow with no expression in his eyes and said "Thank you." as he jumped off the edge. Marlow yelled, "NO! NOOO!" as he tried to save him, but by the time Marlow reached the edge, he was gone under the snowy drifts. Tears filled his eyes as he sat there, dejected. Orlone didn't deserve this. No one deserved any of this. First, Ahiri took his town, then his friends and family, and lastly his life. He tried to take his last friends, and he took the lives of the innocent. And for what? Simply his mad goal. A goal that will no longer come to fruition, thanks to Marlow. He tried to save lives put in harm's way by Ahiri, but he failed. Marlow collapsed to the ground.

"It is sad, but there are words I remember you telling me when we met," Chiron had said softly, "'No one has time enough in their lives for tears. There's just not enough time.' Those words of yours rang true to me back then and they still do now. It will be alright. Look, here come the guards now to arrest this monster."

Fiore guards came in in their brightly colored uniforms to arrest the remaining dark wizards in their knocked-out forms. Isa came in with a handful of treasures, but quickly hid from the guards when she saw them. A couple noticed, and made her give them up. Isa told them to bite her. Marlow was still distraught with all he had learned about the dark guild Daunt, but he got up to explain the situation to the Captain of the Guard, Lieutenant Brikkand Fulton. After intensive questioning of the Vagabond Band, the guards commemorated Marlow and his friends for taking down a thorn in Cerluleo's side. They rounded up the members and shifted them off to prison. Eventually, dawn had broken, and the group was alone. Marlow lied there melancholy, and finally ran out of tears to cry.

Isa was the first to break the silence, "So...you guys like...a guild or something?"

"No," Marlow said, "We're just a travelling group."

"Well, you guys should. You kicked ass, taking down an entire guild."

"Really?" Marlow had never thought about starting a guild. "I'm not sure that we could arrange it. Who would join?"

"Well, we'd join if you guys stay local. We need a guild to dodge my parents, and we'd need booze."

"Well who would be the leader, then?"

"Who else?" Arcadia said, rising up.

"I'd follow you to the end, buddy." Caden agreed.

"I guess I gotta follow Arcadia here." Hayle said sarcastically.

"I would love to join a guild, friend." Clara commented softly.

"You guys saved my life. I don't have much of a choice; a man's gotta have honor." Milo stated.

"Marlow, I, without a doubt, admire your leadership. I'd follow you all the way." Chiron spoke encouragingly.

"You...you guys would...join a guild? With me as master"

"Without a doubt." Caden said smiling.

Marlow found just a couple more tears left, and he collapsed, crying tears of joy. Everyone laughed, and it was unanimous; the Ruby Phoenix Guild, named after Hayle, would become reality. The sun shone bright that day.

After all of the drama Daunt had caused, everything mulled over fine. All of the guild's members that the guard could find went to prison, including most of the members of the Peak of the Daunting Mountain that abandoned their sinking ship and unknowingly swam straight towards the military. Marlow, deciding to go through with starting a guild, called in a favor from the group's old, mute friend, Yellow. He built an elaborate guild hall on the cliff face that used to be Gokenomura. Marlow got permission from the Magic Council to start the guild, and everything was official. Caden returned to the bar to tell the bartender that he wouldn't have any more trouble with the dark guild. The bartender repaid him for his efforts with large amount of beer, much to Marlow's chagrin. The government also bayed them a handsome bounty of 1,500,000 jewel, a job posted in many guild halls, for taking down an entire dark guild. Julius was still out there, and Clara's and isa's mysterious letter brought no explanation as to why they were where they were. All in all, though, everything ended well. We now fast-forward to a week after the interview with Sorcerer Weekly, on a scheduled day where potential new recruits can sign up to join ruby Phoenix.


	4. New Members

_Chapter Four - The New Members_

Marlow walked up to the public area of the guild hall and saw a couple dozen people, big and small. He walked up to a step-ladder next to a podium, organized his lines that were on a notecard, and turned on a microphone lacrima. He began speaking.

"Attention. Attention. Welcome, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome to Ruby Phoenix! I'm so glad you could make it here today to take part in this experience today. I hope you all have a wonderful time joining in our little family. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering; 'Why would the guildmaster be so young?'"

There was a silence, then a voice rang up "You're a rabbit?"

"Yes, yes. I'm a rabbit. I'll get back on-"

Another voice, "Why are you a rabbit?"

"Long Story. I'll get to it later." Marlow said cheerily. There was some murmuring, but Marlow called out again, "Attention. Attention. Thank you. Now, as you complete the signing-up forms, take time to get to know each other if you haven't already. Meet new people. We're going to be working together, so don't be shy. Meanwhile, me and my associates will get together and interview you all so we can know each other. Don't worry, you're all accepted no matter what, _unless you've committed a crime or- _Any-who," He said that comment under his breath, "Let's get to it then!"

There was a cheer and Marlow went into a small room with Caden and Arcadia. Chiron had elected to go out on a job dealing with a demon, so he couldn't make it, and Hayle was hanging out with Isa. Milo was facilitating the crowd upstairs, calling out names, serving punch, and the like. It had been five days since the interview was published in Sorcerer's Weekly, with actually a surprisingly well-written review. Marlow was scared of how the reporter was going to write the guild as, but apparently, she was impressed. Milo looked at his list and called on the first name,

"Rowan Kory, you are first!"

The first person to enter the room was a tall, robed figure with short, brown hair,and a prosthetic leg made entirely of wood.

"Hello, Rowan," Marlow started, "How are you today?"

"Pretty good," the man said, "You?"

"I'm good myself. So, Rowan, tell us a bit about yourself."

"Well, I'm a wizard who practices Wood-Make magic, as I can make whatever my imagination allows out of wood. I even made a leg, since my real one got burned in a fire."

"Really?" Arcadia looked up, excited, "Who started the fire?"

"Actually, a member of that dark guild you took down a couple of weeks ago. The one who turned into a hydra. I don't remember his name…"

"Oh," Caden interrupted "That Julius guy?"

"I don't know, seven-year-old me didn't ask the hydra his name while he was burning down my house and family."

"Oh...sorry," Caden said sheepishly.

"Well anyway, an old wizard found me and taught me how to use Wood-Make magic. After he died of an illness, I took to travelling, looking for work. That's when I heard some group defeated the guy. I was upset I couldn't do him in, but I thought 'Whatever, I need work, and these guy's mean business' so here I am."

Marlow spoke "Well thank you for -"

"Actually," Caden interrupted, "Julius is still out there."

"Oh." Rowan said, interested, "That's interesting."

Arcadia had an evil look on her face, then said, "So if your house burnt down, does that mean…" and she ignited a tiny flame in the palm of her hand. Rowan looked wide-eyed and said skittishly "Thank you, I'm delighted to join the guild. Bye." and he quickly left. Marlow gave Arcadia a menacing look.

Milo read from the list, "Star Jones, you're next." and everyone heard a loud, sing-songy voice yell, "That's _Lucky_ Star Jones, ah whatever," he calmed down and went into the room. A tall, jacketed man with star-shaped sunglasses and white, stylish hair came in. He took one look at Arcadia and said with a suave voice, "Hey, baby. I'd be happy to join a guild with women as hot as you. What do you say we get out later? Who knows; maybe you'll get lucky?" He drew out that last word.

"Umm, no thanks. You're trying too hard" Arcadia commented harshly.

"Arcadia," Marlow whispered, "please stop harassing potential guild members."

"He's harassing me." She whispered back.

"Yeah, but...fine." Marlow calmed down. "So, what brings you to our guild?"

"Well, everywhere else wasn't good enough for the likes of me. I'm kind of a star, if you haven't heard. I released a new album about a month ago. Maybe you've heard of it?" The trio shook their heads, "Well...it's… an indie label. Anyway, I practice a type of magic that allows me to manipulate luck and th. It's pretty wicked."

"That's actually pretty neat," Marlow inquired, "I've never heard of that before. How does it work?"

"Well, say that you throw that glass of water you have right there at me. I can manipulate the luck so that it misses or hits you instead. Alternatively, I can make it so it's more likely to hit a target square on the head."

"Wow, how does it work?" Arcadia asked, now interested.

"Magic, baby. So how about that date?"

"Ahh...later?" She said, now uninterested.

"Thank you for your time, Lucky. We'll be glad to have you in our guild."

Lucky performed some choreographed maneuver as he left the room, and proceeded to sing in an annoying pop-star voice.

Milo shouted, "Lorraine Okaritte, you're up next."

A tall, slender woman with modest, brown clothes and green hair straightened in a ponytail came into the room. She was carrying a katana and three, odd rings.

"Hello Lorraine." Marlow chirped, "How are you."

"Fine, Fine. You're well, I take it?"

"Yes, I am. So tell us a bit about yourself."

"Well," she started, "I use holder-type Ring magic, if that's what you mean. I haven't dedicated a lot of my time towards learning a specific magic, I mostly train in martial arts and sword play. The rings, however, use a magic for me already. One wards against spells, one paralyzes a foe, and another cause a large amount of pain."

"Neat," Caden said, obviously smitten with the lady, "So tell us a bit about yourself, miss."

Marlow caught on and looked heartbroken, but he let Lorraine talk.

"Well, I mostly trained my body throughout my life. I didn't...do anything of too much interest." She commented softly

"Thank you for your time, miss." Caden continued, "We'll just ecstatic to have you in our guild. Thank you for your time."

"Yeah, thanks." Marlow muttered.

"You're ever so welcome," she continued, "I haven't a home around here. Your guild has dorms?"

"Yes, of course. Whatever you like, miss."

"Why, thank you. I'll be taking my leave then."

"Bye!" Caden practically yelled. Arcadia hit him, yet he didn't know why.

"Next, we'll be seeing a young miss Juliet Whitman" Milo yelled.

A young girl, about 14 years old, in a plain, white dress came in, smiling with a bubbly personality. She also had white, feathery wings.

"Hello, miss. How are ya?" Arcadia asked, taking the place of a sullen Marlow. Caden was still oblivious.

"Peachy-keen. How are you?"

"I'm fine as well. So, tell us about yourself."

"Well, I grew up in Ceruleo. My parents love magic and wizardry, so when I asked if I could be a wizard, they were more than happy. I learned flying magic, and I also got this little bow I found. I looked like a little angel to all of my friends,, so they called me cupid." She then giggled adorably, "I wanted to join a guild to make new friends and find a prince, if you know what I mean, and Ceruleo had none, so I went here. I'm super excited to be with you guys!"

"Well we're happy to have you, young lady." Caden implied.

"I'm happy to be here!" and Juliet skipped out of the room. Caden and Arcadia let out an audible "DAWWWWWWW!" Marlow was still crestfallen. Arcadia remembered why and hit Caden again, to which he responded "Why do you keep hitting me?" Arcadia kept silent.

"Next, can we see a Claus Orren?"

A voice came up, "Can I come with him? I'm his sister!"

"Sure thing."

Two people came into the room; one, a tall, serious-looking man in fine clothes, and a 17 year old girl with glasses carrying around a book.

"Claus and Milly Orren, I presume?" Caden implored.

"Yep, that's us." Milly spoke

"We heard that there was a new guild starting near where we were and we decided to finally join one." Claus inquired

" A new guild would be neat-o" Milly said.

"Plus, with the death of our parents a year ago, we had no place to stay."

"Well, what do you guys do?" Arcadia asked.

"Well," Claus spoke, "I use magical light and dark swords i found in a mysterious dungeon, but magically, I use Body Enhancement magic, making me faster, stronger, and the ilk."

Milly added, "I use Enchantments, cause I love reading, but mine are more elemental based, like if you step on it, you'll burn or get shocked or somethin'. I mostly make traps."

"Well, that's neat. I'm sorry about your folks." Arcadia commented.

Milly spoke up, "Yeah, it's sad. But truth be told, they were a part of a cult that we ran away from, so...yeah. An assassin guild got 'em, and they weren't so keen on keeping survivors. Don't worry, though. We're not crazy cultists or anything."

Claus contributed, "We defected when we were children, and I've looked after Milly all of my life."

"That's an interesting tale." said Caden, "We'll be happy to have you in our guild."

"Thanks!" Milly said, "Catch ya' later."

"Same," Arcadia muttered, "Tell me if you find a good book." Arcadia, contrary to her personality, also loved to read.

"Will do!" Marlow got up finally and said, "I'm good, I'm good. I'm calm."

"Next," Milo said, "Can we see a Maurice Du'Bane"

"Sure thing." a gruff voice sounded.

When Maurice came into the room, the trio saw a well-built, tan man with a full beard and mustache covering his face.

"Hello," he said, "I'm just gonna let you know, if I fall asleep randomly, it's 'cause I have narcolepsy."

"Oh, thank you for letting us know." Marlow said, "So...tell us a bit about yourself, Maurice."

"Well, I work-out. I got this neat regime where I-"

"Your magic?" Arcadia demanded.

"Oh, right. I just use telepathy. I just came here with my associate, Lorraine, although I'm happy to-"

"Oh, so you're after my woman, eh." Caden challenged. Marlow went back to his dejection.

"No...we're not...dating. We just worked together."

"Oh...OK then. Thank you for your time here. We're happy to have you." Caden glanced menacingly at Maurice as he left. Arcadia hit him again.

"Next, may we have a Miss Anise Harcourt." Milo exclaimed.

A young woman entered the room shyly. She wore a light, pink dress and a lovely hat with roses on it.

"Hello, miss. How are you today?" Arcadia asked.

"I'm fine. Thank you miss." Anise responded.

"So, miss." Caden said, "Tell us about yourself." Arcadia looked at him again and raised her hand, but he scooted his chair over to Marlow, who was still sad.

"Well, I went to an academy that taught a very peculiar type of magic." she started speaking, "Along with math, science, and history, they had a special magic class that taught how to use a special device known as a wand to recite any incantation I desire." She spoke so softly they could barely hear here.

"How does that work?" Arcadia asked.

"Well, you practice a certain phrase in a long lost language, and certain phrases cast certain spells. I am not an expert in any of them, but it is beneficial. I came to a guild to learn how to enhance my skills. I'm sorry if I took up too much of your time." Anise sounded as if that monologue was scripted.

"Oh, no. We're happy to have you. Your magic sounds neat; you'll have to show it to me sometime."

"Thank you, miss." She said, as she turned and left the room.

There were a handful of wizards left to interview. A set of twins; Melody and Rhyme Simonds, who sang everything they said and practiced Peace Manipulation and Rage Manipulation magic, there was a fat man named Brutus Arroya, who mostly ate anything and took the power of it via a form of Rouge Magic. A creepy, yet bashful 18 year old wizard named Francis Polk who could control and summon various insects and creepy crawlies, and a young woman named Felicity Moon who used a holder-type flute to control the light, sound, and temperature around her. Finally, they had met all the interviews and everyone who was there to be interviewed joined the guild. Just as Marlow and company were about to pack up and start a party they had planned in honor of the new members, a young boy crashed through the front doors, tripping up and knocking a few chairs over in the process. He was followed by a red, flying cat.

"Sorry I'm late, are you still taking members?" He said to Marlow.

"Pardon him," the cat interrupted, "He's _always_ late for everything. I'm known as Roger, and this child is named Tony. He heard about your guild and felt he _had _to join."

"Sure," Marlow answered, "We're always taking new members if you wanted to join. What type of magic do you use?"

"I'm a Cosmic Dragonslayer! Taught by the Cosmic Dragon Solioth!"

Marlow stared at him, stunned_. A Dragonslayer? Here? _Marlow had heard of the destructive and awe-inspiring power of the Lost Art of wizards taught by dragons themselves, but all the dragons left, or so Marlow heard. He never imagined one to come to the guild, though, although he was young. Also there was a flying cat, but those became common for some reason seven years ago. _Exceeds, weren't they called? _Anyway, Marlow responded to the boy.

"We'd be happy to have one of your caliber in our guild."

"Yeah! Thanks rabbit-person. Where's your master?"

"...I'm the master."

"Oh...neat! Why are you a…"

"It's a long story!" Marlow practically shouted, then he lowered his volume, "Sorry, everyone asks that. If you go down the stairs, you'll see there's a party for new members. Don't drink any alca-"

"Thank you, uhh...sir." Roger had interrupted as Tony bolted down the stairs, "I am Tony's guardian, as he has no parents. Tony wanted to join a guild, so I told him to join a newer one for experience. I hadn't the privilege of meeting this...Solioth, but the powers that he taught Tony to use are _something_ of mention, when he doesn't use it to destroy things. It is sad, though; ever since the dragon left and Tony found me, he hasn't had a definite home, and he's simply been wandering. but now, he can join this...guild, I _suppose_."

"Well, thank you for picking us."

"Indeed…" Roger had said snobbishly.

Suddenly, a thought caught Marlow, "Wait, if all of the dragons left fourteen years ago, then why is Tony so…" Roger flew down the stairs before Marlow could finish his question, so he just ignored it for now. Marlow went to go to the party downstairs when he saw Chiron appear in the doorway, carrying a sort of hawk with a blue-feathered neck and a backwards claw. Suddenly, he remembered the job that Chiron took alone; one that entitled him to go east to deal with a demon. He didn't think he'd befriend it, though.

"Hey, Chiron. How was the job?"

"Interesting. I made a pact with the demon threatening the small village of Ivy Stone not too far from here."

Yeah, I know. I kinda read the job description…"

"Well, I didn't know."

"Sorry…" Marlow looked guilty, "What kind of demon was it?"

"This is Vinde. She is an Aela demon; one who controls the weather, evidently. Rest assured, she agreed to be my companion, and now there are no more troubles in Ivy Stone."

"Cool; there's a party going on if-"

"No, but thank you. I'm going to rest."

Chiron had a look of concern on his face. Marlow asked, "You alright?"

"Actually," he paused, "Nevermind."

"Suit yourself. Nice job on the...job, by the way"

"Thank you."

The party lasted all through the night. The new members were shown their dorms, which were high in number. Everyone got their own room, but then went back to boozing it up at the party. Caden kept trying to act chivalrous and knightly around Lorraine to get her to like him, but she wouldn't, making Marlow slightly relieved. Arcadia, Isa (although she was underage), Felicity, and Milly (who also was underage) started a drinking game, to which Arcadia won, slightly. Arcadia then proceeded to try to start a boxing match with everyone. After losing to Maurice, she then passed out at the bar. Anise quietly watched the others enjoy themselves, shyly smiling. Chiron, Francis, and Clara took no part and went to sleep. Rowan hanged out with Maurice, Hitari, Marlow, Claus, and they started a game of poker that lasted through the night. Maurice lost often because he kept projecting his hand to everyone. Lucky and the Simonds had a drunken sing-off. Tony, with Roger in tow, watched the girls' drinking game, as did Juliet. Brutus ate a lot. Milo was over-worked and dying. Hayle was trying to wake Arcadia up. They all had a fun night, and barely anyone went to sleep. The party lasted all through the night.


	5. Minetta's Labyrinth

_Chapter 5 - Minetta's Labyrinth! First S-Class Quest!_

"Marlow?" Halye asked.

"Definitely Caden." Arcadia responded

"What about Lorraine? Is Caden even...you know…"

"Ughhhhh," Arcadia groaned, dealing with her massive hangover, "Don't get me started on her. She's ruining my ship."  
"Ahh, OK. What about Chiron?"

"I'm pretty sure he told me he's not interested in, like, anyone."

"Really?"

"Yeah, like, I tried to set him up with this one hot chick a while ago and he just blew her off and told me he 'Doesn't want love' or something."

"Oh, What about Isa?"

"Hitari, duh."

"Good, good. We agree on one. How about Lucky St-"

"No. Just...no. Don't get me started on him." then Arcadia moaned in her chronic pain.

Hayle chuckled, then continued, "Milo?"

Arcadia stared long and hard, then acknowledged, "You got me; he'll probs never land a girl."

Hayle laughed again, "OK, OK. What about...Milly?"

All of the sudden, the two heard a voice behind them. It was Milly, "Yeah? What do you guys want?"

"Eyy, speak of the devil." Arcadia said, "Hayle and I were just pairing people in the guild together."

Hayle continued that thought, "We're the resident matchmakers, although I'm the sane one."

"Ah, neat-o," Milly said, "Who do you pair me with?"

Arcadia stared long and hard at the members of the guild, then Hayle spoke up, "I don't know, maybe… Rowan?"

"No," Arcadia interrupted, "No, no, no, Hayle. _I'm_ gonna make that ass mine."

The trio laughed, then Arcadia keeled over in pain. "Ughh, why don't you have a hangover, Milly? What's your secret?"

"I only drank, like, one or two beers. You drank an entire case."

"Oh," Arcadia said pained.

They laughed even more maniacally

"OK, OK, OK," Milly started, "What about Anise-"

Suddenly, Milly was cut off by a man rushing down the stairs into the guild hall. He had slicked-back, blonde hair and a fancy, burgundy suit, adn he was accompanied by Milo, who was muttering "Sorry, sorry," for whatever reason.

"Help! Help!" He shouted, "My daughter! She got," he took a moment to catch his breath, then continued, "Help! I need a wizard's guild to save my daughter!"

Marlow suddenly appeared, "Calm down, sir. Tell us what's wrong."

"What?!Why is there a talking rabbit?!"

Marlow pinched his forehead in disgust, then spoke up, "Sir, I'm the guild master. now tell us; what's wrong with your daughter?"

"She got lost in the Labyrinth, Minetta's Labyrinth!"

There was a collective gasp from the entire guild hall in response to that. You see, not too far from Ceruleo, there is a mysterious underground dungeon known as Minetta's Labyrinth. Constructed back in the old days by a wizard known as Minetta Smallwood, the colossal Labyrinth contains deadly traps and dark secrets. Many have tried to venture its halls only to meet their doom. The Labyrinth is a well-known legend among wizards, as it is rumored to hold the end of the world. Marlow was the first to speak up, "Sir, are you _absolutely _sure that your daughter went into _Minetta's _Labyrinth?"

The man rushed in speech, "Yes! Yes I am. You see, I was on a business trip in Ceruleo when my daughter, Marjoh, heard about the legend; she's obsessed with stories, she begged me to show her, but I was busy with work. I woke up this morning to find she left a note saying that she was leaving for the Labyrinth. Oh, I'm so sorry, Marjoh! I should have gone with you. Anyway, can you help find her?"

Marlow, being the sympathetic soul he is, spoke up, "We'll get your daughter back for you, unharmed. I promise. Can you tell me your name?"

"Why, yes. I'm Erneslus Stone. Thank you so much. I'll pay you! I'll pay you so much; I have money to spare. I'm a wealthy stone-mason company owner."

"Thank you," Marlow said, gladly taking payment, "Let me assemble a team, and we'll get your daughter back."

Chiron, who was sitting in the back listening, walked up to Marlow, "Are you sure you going is a good idea? The Labyrinth, legend or not, is a truly dangerous place. And, not that I don't doubt your power, but I would advise against the guildmaster going"

"Chiron!" Marlow yelled, "Where's your heart? How could I stand by while this man's daughter is lost. Besides, we're only going into the entryway; the girl couldn't have gone far." Chiron looked unchanged in face, but said nothing. Marlow turned to Erneslus and continued, "You should wait here in the hall while we find your daughter," then he said with a smile, "Don't worry; she'll be safe."

"Thank you a million times over." Erneslus said, "I ran all the way to the nearest guild; I had no time for transportation, so I'll pay for a carriage to take you there."

"Thank you, sir."

"Anything to save my dear Marjoh."

Marlow turned to the crowd of wizards in the hall and stood on his raised podium, "OK, everyone. We need to assemble a team for this quest. This is, for all extents and purposes, an S-Class quest, so if you feel you're not ready yet, no one will judge. I'll go, too; we're gonna need all of the help we can get. So...any volunteers?"

Caden, enthralled with the possibility of adventure, spoke up first, "Of course, someone of my caliber of strength will accompany the party."

Arcadia, seeing the opportunity to get her ship together, said, "Count me in, dude."

"I'm not going," Hayle spoke up, "I wanna keep my feathers; you're on your own."

"Weak."

"Stupid."

Lucky Star was the next to speak up, "Someone will need to help escort this fine babe. I volunteer." Arcadia suddenly regretted her decision, but got over it. _The things  
I do for you two…_ she thought with a tinge of malice.

"I'll accompany the party." Lorraine spoke up, and Arcadia had to restrain herself from tackling the fool who would ruin her plans.

"Will that be all, then?" Marlow asked, then a young voice spoke up. It was Tony, "I wanna go!"

"No, you don't" Roger responded.

"But, I wanna go on the S-Class quest. Maybe… Maybe I could-"

"What? Get yourself killed?"

"No!" Tony challenged, "Maybe we can find out what happened to Solioth."

"Why would he be there?"

"I don't know… maybe?"

"Well, you're not going."

"You're not the boss of me!" Tony exclaimed, then turned to Marlow, "I'm going."

Roger turned his head, "Fine, get yourself killed. See if _I _care...but I'm going with you."

"Are you sure you wanna go, Tony?" Marlow asked.

"Definately!"

"Alright then, will there be anyone else?"

Arcadia looked at Marlow and spoke, "I think six is enough."

"Alrighty then," then Marlow turned to Erneslus, "We're gonna get your daughter; I promise."

"Oh, I can't say thank you enough; ever since my wife passed away, Marjoh has been the only light of my life. I can't bear to see her lost."

"Oh," Marlow said, "That's sad. We'll get your daughter back."

"Thank you so much, I'll never be able to repay you." Erneslus continued persistently

"Yes, mmhmm, OK, we'll get your daughter back. Yes, I promise. Thank you" Marlow turned to the crowd of wizards before the man could continue talking again, "Chiron, hold down the fort while I'm gone." and the team of six was off. Erneslus told them that they would find his carriage on the edge of Ceruleo, and, after an hour's trek to Ceruleo they found it with ease. The ride to Minetta's Labyrinth took a couple of hours, but when they arrived within a few kilometers, the carriage driver told them, "I'm not going further, it's a dangerous place. You guys can walk the rest of the way." And so, they did.

As the six reached the portcullis gates of a castle seemingly going into the base of a mountain. The Labyrinth itself is actually located on the border of the same mountain chain as Mt. Neve, but is only located in a dark woodlands north of the mountains. The gates lead downward into the face of the north-westernmost mountain, and the woods surrounding the gate are too thick for any vehicle to traverse.

"Those are big gates." Tony said whimsically.

Lucky continued that thought, "Almost as big as my-"

"No." Arcadia glowered sharply as she hit him.

"...I was going to say personality."

Marlow walked up to the gates and realized there was no way that the gates could open from the outside. The only way one could get through would to slip through the holes in the portcullis, but they were only big enough for a little girl or small rabbit to fit. Suddenly, Marlow had a plan.

"Caden. Could you pass through the gates with your magic to see if there's a way in?"

"You do realize that both of us fit through the gate right?"

"...Oh...Yeah I knew that."

"I _suppose_ I fit as well…" Roger stated.

"Great." Arcadia shouted, "Then see if you can find a way to open the gate."

"Got it."

Marlow, Caden, and Roger snuck through the hole in the metal gate and found themselves in a large, dark hallway with a checkerboard floor. What little light leaked through from the day illuminated a wooden, chained wheel at the end of the hallway. Marlow noticed something odd about the air of the hall, as if it was humming with magical energy. Caden was about to blindly walk towards the wheel presumed to open the gate, when he noticed the hum getting louder.

"Caden, stop! You're going to-" but it was too late. Iron spikes pierced through the floor, instantly impaling Caden. Marlow was stunned for a moment, not able to move, when he realized the Caden kept walking.

"I'm aware as to how the Labyrinth is trapped. I'm just going to use my magic."

Marlow suddenly felt really dumb himself as Roger stated, "Then I suppose I can fly above the floor, just as long as I don't trigger the plates on the floor." Marlow remembered he could float above the floor as well; Caden might need help turning the wheel to open the gate

"Roger," Marlow shouted, "I can help with the wheel, you disable the trap."

"I _suppose_ I can do that."

Caden and Marlow reached the wheel holding the portcullis down. they both turned human long enough to turn the wheel and open the gate.

"Everyone!" Marlow shouted, "Be careful, the floor is trapped!"

"Not anymore." Roger replied, holding a small lacrima in his jaws.

Arcadia, Lucky, Tony, and lorraine followed into the room, testing the floor to make sure the floor was safe. Learning it was, they regrouped with the others at the wheel.

"OK," Marlow started, "We all need to be careful of traps and such. Legend dictates there's a bunch of them, and this room solidifies that theory. Caden, you take the lead, cause you're basically invulnerable for a little bit. Do watch your magical energy, though, OK?"

"Sure thing; it will be a while before anything slows down."

"OK, I see no impaled bodies of young children, thankfully, so Marjoh got through this room somehow. We need to keep pushing forward, so let's go."

"Alright," everyone agreed in unison.

The team went beyond the raised floor with the wheel and walked on another checkerboarded floor that was powered by the trap Roger disabled. They continued until the reached a smaller hallway descending. Caden checked the hallway, and learned that it was safe. Everyone continued down until they reached a turn in the hallway, leading to a room with a large, locked, blackened door, and three other hallways. Caden checked the room and discovered that is was a safe room, save for the door, which seemed to catch flame one were to touch it. Noticing the multiple hallways, Caden asked, "Any thoughts?"

"Hmm," Marlow started, "we're going to need to split up, it seems. To cover more ground."

"Is that a safe idea?" Arcadia challenged, "Seeing that we're in a labyrinth, one can assume we'll get frickin' lost."

"Well, I did bring rope if we get lost."

"Still," Roger stated, "This place is rumoured to be _ridiculously _dangerous. If we were to travel, best it be in pairs in case one member were to...I don't know, perish?"

Arcadia was suddenly hit with a lightbulb moment.

Lorraine, being mostly silent, spoke up, "What if we were to find another couple of paths splitting up? What then?"

"Shut up for a second," Arcadia snapped, "I've had a change of heart, we're splitting up."

"Are you sure about-" Caden started

"Absolutely. Caden, you go with Marlow, because...because you're bunnies!" She gave Marlow a wink.

Marlow stared at Arcadia confused, as he did not know of her intentions, "Well, OK I guess-"

"Well, good then." Arcadia stood proud.

"I would love to hang with the pretty redhead, if you don't mind." Lucky said seductively.

"Uhhhhh…" Arcadia stuttered, trying to figure out a way to nicely diss Lucky without ruining her grand plan.

"I'm sorry Lucky," Lorraine interrupted, "but, if you don't mind, I wish to accompany her." and she gave Arcadia a quaint smile.

"Yeah, we need to talk about...girl things."

"I'll go with you, Lucky!" Tony suggested kindly, "Me and Roger."

"Roger and _I_." The Exceed corrected

Dejected, Lucky submitted, "Whatever, let's just find the toddler and get paid."

"Then it's decided," Marlow started, when he suddenly realized what was going on, "I-I g-guess C-c-caden and, um, I will go down the, uh, far hot-uhh-hallway t-to the right."

"Sure." Caden agreed obliviously.

"OK, Lorraine and I will take the not creepy one on the left side."

"Alright, Tony, we're taking the close right one."

"Gotcha!"

"OK, th-then. Every-umm-one t-take some, uhh, rope," Marlow stuttered, "G-good luck, everyone."

"Same," Arcadia said with a smirk.

"I always do, babe." Lucky responded.

The hallway that lead Arcadia and Lorraine into the dungeon turned left, then went down a stairwell. _Great, _Arcadia thought, _We're going to die here underground and all because of what I do for my friends; they better give me half of the reward. _Arcadia held and let loose a trail of red rope to find their way back. They turned right again and entered a circular room with three doors. "Hmm," Lorraine started, "This looks like a trap."

"Yeah, one of the doors will probably kill us."

"Quite…" Lorraine responded disdainfully, "So...tell me a little bit about yourself."

"What? Here? Can't you see we have to deal with an obvious death-trap, as she casually opened the door to the left side into another domed room. Lorraine followed, oddly calm.

"Why not? It's not likely for strangers to work well together."

"I s'pose, but- lemme get this a sec," Arcadia opened the door on the opposite wall, opening into another domed room, "Well...what do you wanna know?"

"I don't know, maybe your adventures? Your childhood?"

Arcadia stood there for a second, then spoke up, "I...um, didn't have too much of a childhood. My parents died or something when I was born, and the orphanage only found me in the street with a baby bird; Hayle."

"Oh, sorry to bring up sore memories."

"You're fine. I did...sort of had natural fire magic, but not anything that needed training or anything, 'cause I rarely do. I don't know why, but I was born with the power. Actually, when I first went to grade school in Gokenomura, Caden and Marlow had been in my class and they sort of saw me messing around with fire. They thought it was cool or something, because they started practicing magic, too."

"Interesting." Lorraine commented as Arcadia opened the door to the right, into another domed room.

"Well, what about your adventures around Fiore?" Lorraine asked.

"Well,, when we got out of our tenth year of schooling, Caden, Marlow, Hayle, and I just sort of left to see the world. Their parents were OK with it, for whatever reason, and...well, I had none." Arcadia opened the right door, and went into _yet_ another domed room. "OK!" she exclaimed, "What the hell is with this frickin' room."

"It seems to be a trap." Lorraine went back through the door they came through and ended up in the first round room they entered.

"Great," Arcadia muttered as she wound up the rope she left in the other rooms, "A puzzle; my favorite."

"Don't be discouraged; there's bound to be clues somewhere."

Arcadia looked around, then up. On the ceiling of the round room, she found a spiral with circles dotted on segments.

"Hey," Arcadia started, "Was it just me, or were the doors in the other room having a color or something. Re-word this sentence; I butchered grammar."

"I suppose," she studied the spiral hard, then said, "Help me remember. It's green, red, red, green, then blue. The right door was red, the left green, and the middle blue."

"Green, red, red, green, blue. Got it."

"Good."

The duo followed the pattern until they opened the last, blue door. upon opening it, they entered another hallway. They traversed down it until they came to a fork in the road.

Arcadia spoke, "We probs shouldn't split up."

"Agreed. Let's go right, people usually go right more often than not."

"Gotcha."

The two went left, down more stairs, then into another, bigger room with weird walls.

"So," Lorraine continued, "Tell me about your adventures."

"Well, like I said; us three went north n a train, we explored what there was to be seen of Fiore, we took odd or magical jobs for cash. We bumped into Chiron when we went far north, and he agreed to go with us after we helped him clear a problem or something. We also ran into Clara; you've met Clara, right? Anyway, we bumped into her a couple of times, but she never stuck 'round for long. We did crazy things I guess, but we had fun."

Lorraine stopped walking, ignoring the fact that the room may hide a heinous trap, "Where did Chiron come from?"

Arcadia stopped, too, stunned by that question, "I...don't know. I guess we didn't care that much at the time ;cause he was cool. Maybe he was raised by really nice demons." Arcadia laughed, and Lorraine only chuckled a little. The two traversed past some walls, sticking out as if to make cells, but no traps came. They ended up in another hallway, even though the room lead to a few. The hallway went even further down, then widened, leading into a very large room, big enough to accommodate an entire guild hall. Arcadia could swear she heard water off somewhere.

Arcadia let out a whistle, "Wow, this room's huge."

"Careful, we know not what lurks in it."

They hugged the walls and continued, until they noticed a huge hole towards the center of the room, barely not encompassing both walls on both sides of the room. It seemed to not have a bottom.

"Hey, jump in to see if the hole ends," Arcadia joked.

"Uhh, no?"

"I'm just joking."

"This is serious. What would be the point to a huge hole like this?"

"To hold something big?"

"Or many small things."

"What, like bats?"

"Or the undead." Lorraine jested

"Ooh, scary," Arcadia responded sarcastically, "Maybe a skeletal dragon."

"Or a skeletal dragon surrounded by an army of undead bats."

"Yeah, like that!"

The two, in their light mood, continued to the door on the other side of the room, only to find it locked. Even though it was made of wood, Arcadia couldn't burn it down. All of the sudden, the two heard a low rumble, and the ceiling on the other side of the room collapsed by the door. Water also started to leak from the ceiling. Arcadia looked at Lorraine with a look of surprise as she said, "Oh great, a giant skeletal dragon surrounded by an army of undead bats." But instead, a myriad of green tentacles emerged from the hole.

A voice came from somewhere, "Ooh, we have guests. Sick 'em, boy."

Marlow's heart was beating in his chest faster than a hawk took to the sky. Marlow found himself alone with Caden on occasion, yet Marlow never got his courage up. But now, Caden was there, talking to him. Now was his chance.

"S-so...umm, h-how about those...politics."

Caden looked confused, "When did you get into politics?"

"Well, I-I, umm, was just starting a conversation."

"I don't even know who the king is."  
"Uhh, n-now that you mention it, neither d-do I."

"Why do you keep stuttering? It's not _that_ dangerous of a dungeon."

"Oh, umm, n-no reason."

"...OK?"

The went down the winding hallway and immediately found a fork in the path; two hallways leading diagonally from the one they were in.

"We d-definitely should, uhh, n-not split up."

"Good idea. You left the rope down, right?"

"Hahaha, yeah."

Caden looked confused, then responded, "Umm, yeah?"

_Calm down Marlow_, Marlow thought, _You need to stop acting so awkward, gosh!_

"H-hey, did you know that if you have a store called This and That, you can make a, uhh, sentence have the word 'and' b-be said five times in a row."

"What?"

"The, uhh, difference between This and And and And and That is the s-same on the, uhh, sign."

"Ha! Neat."

_Smooth, you idiot. Just freaking calm down and act cool, it's not that hard._

"Sorry, that was a poor attempt at humor."

"No it wasn't. It was clever. I know it's frightening, but don't let the nerves of this S-class quest get to you."

_Oh, you oblivious, lovable idiot._

"Thanks, do you know any, uhh, jokes? 'Cause let's be honest, that one was horrible."

"Whatever you say. Hmm...Got one!"

"Let's, umm, hear it."

"OK, OK; What do you get when you cross a joke and a rhetorical question?"

"What?"

Caden just stood there for a second and then smiled. It hit Marlow, and suddenly the two were on the floor laughing. After they calmed down, they kept walking. The hallway turned right, went down stairs, turned right again, and went down more stairs.

"OK," Marlow started, "I got one; a blind man walks into a bar...'Clang'"

Caden laughed again, and Marlow smiled. Just as soon as the two descended to the bottom of the stairwell, they entered an extremely large room, but instead of a floor, there were thin walkways forming a maze that, should one fall off of it, they would fall into a seemingly endless abyss.

"Hmm, it seems to be this is a maze." Marlow stated.

"We should be careful not to fall."

"Why? I can just suspend you or me if we fall. Plus we're rabbits, the maze is normal-sized to us."

"Oh yeah, this maze is pointless. Why not just float across it?"

"Do we want to risk it? There might be a trap if we try to cheat."

"Let's test that theory." Caden picked up a rock that was on the floor and threw it to another walkway, when suddenly, a force caught the rock in mid-air and threw it straight down into the abyss. Then, the rock fell from the ceiling above where it went down and continued to fall until it was ridiculously fast. Suddenly, the two heard a loud, smashing noise, and the rock stopped falling.

Marlow broke the silence, "We probably shouldn't cheat."

"I agree."

The two carefully navigated the maze, getting lost in dead ends and such until Caden spoke up, "I'm bored, what do you want to do?"

"What, like a game?"

"Sure. Do you got anything in mind?"

"Uhh, not really."

Caden then thought long and hard, until he finally suggested, "How about Truth or Dare?"

Marlow suddenly felt his heart beat faster. He couldn't say no, but the consequences of the game posed a frightening threat.

"Uhh, s-sure."

"I'll go first. Truth or Dare?"

"Umm, Truth."

"Hmm, how many girls have you been with?

Marlow blushed and looked away, "Umm, none."

Caden suddenly looked guilty, "Oh, sorry. It's cool, I won't judge if you're looking for the right one."

The two continued in silence, traversing the maze, until Marlow broke the silence, "OK, Truth or Dare?"

"Dare."

_OK, take off all of your- _"Hmm," Marlow thought for a while, until he said, "I dare you to...make out with that...rock?"

"Uhh, OK?"

"Sorry, I've got no creative ideas in this empty maze with just the two of us."

"I can think of some." Marlow suddenly stopped and got a stunned look on his face, yet Caden continued, "But if you insist, I will make out with that rock." He did, and Marlow was still stunned.

"Now it's my turn; Truth or Dare?"

"Umm, dare?"

"OK…" Caden looked at Marlow with concentration in his eyes, "OK, walk around the rest of the maze in only your underwear."

Marlow was stunned, but he relented and stripped to his underwear. Caden laughed, and Marlow blushed, saying, "You do realize we're, umm, rabbits, we can go naked and still fit, uh, societal norms."

"Then why are you blushing?" Caden giggled.

Marlow paused, then questioned "What are you getting out of this?"

"I find it funny when you get all high-strung and such."

The two continued navigating the maze room, and the end of their struggle was in sight, probably. The maze gave false hopes of reaching its end.

"Alright then, funny guy," Marlow challenged, "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth, this time."

Marlow thought for a second, then asked, "OK, what is your idea of a, perfect date?"

"Easy. A nice, mature woman who fears nothing and would accompany me on my adventures. Someone who would love my courage and chivalry. She should be nice to me, but not afraid to take control of the relationship. Or something like that, I don't really know."

Marlow looked down, being reminded that Caden was straight. He still wasn't going to give up. The two finally came to the end of the maze room, as they entered a hallway turning right, then down. Marlow continued, "Well, good. we made it." Marlow put his clothes back on.

"We're not done playing yet, sir."

"OK, Truth or Dare?"

Suddenly, an airy voice in a melancholic tone spoke up.

"Truth, I suppose."

Then, time stopped. Literally, the flow of time around Caden and Marlow stopped and they couldn't move or talk. They could still think, see, and hear, though, which was frightening, especially if the effect continued indefinitely. Suddenly, a short, male figure with spiky, silver hair, a clock tattoo encompassing his entire face, and a missing arm. The figure spoke in his quiet, pained voice.

"I'm sorry, but this is going to mostly be a one-sided conversation."

Silence.

"I don't remember my name, but most call me Clockhand. I am a wizard, as I presume you to be as well. I can slow or stop time, so you will not be able to run from me, I'm afraid. It is a lost magic, known only as the Arc of Slow"

More silence.

"Truth, hmm… Yes, I have it now. Who are you and what are you doing here?"

The time-lock suddenly broke and Marlow collapsed on the floor. Caden spoke up, "We should be asking you the same question."

Suddenly, time stopped again. Another figure, immune to the effects of Clockhand's magic, stepped toward Caden, he was tall, heavy, and his entire skin was a shadow. His clothes, a dark gray, seemed to float above the difficult-to-look-at figure. Clockhand spoke up, "He seems to not know the rules of the game he plays. Give him penalty." The figure nodded, and Marlow watched helplessly as more shadows accumulated around the figures fist. The fist jabbed Caden in the gut, and he flew back into the wall with such speed, it cracked the stone. Marlow fell to the ground again as he yelled, "No!"

Clockhand pleaded, "Please, answer me."

"Fine, fine. Just don't hurt my friend." Caden was knocked out, and only after one punch, "I'm Marlow, this is Caden. We belong to the same guild, and we were sent here to look for a little girl who got lost. We mean no harm, I promise."

Clockhand looked confused, "A little girl? I'm afraid I haven't seen any. Have you, Atzedek?

The shadowed figure simply nodded "No." Clockhand conjured up a different magic circle as he said, "I'm afraid I don't trust you. Our agenda doesn't involve you, so farewell. I will stop time, and I fear you won't be conscious this time."

And in a flash, they were gone. Marlow and Caden sat up, and they were greeted with a severe pain in their abdomen.

"Who the hell were they?" Caden asked.

"I don't know, but I feel as if something's not right here."

"I agree. We need to find that girl, and fast."

"If she's even here." Marlow commented ominously.

"So, Lucky, how long have you practiced singing for?" Tony asked.

"For almost ten years, kid. I'm the best singer around Fiore."

"Do you have a band or something?"

"No, I work solo. Other people are so annoying."

"Then why did you learn magic?"

Lucky looked stunned, then simply said, "Enough with the questions."

Roger, who was thoroughly annoyed by Lucky's ego and Tony's endless prattling, kept ahead of the two, just out of earshot. He was easily bothered. They had been going down the same hallway for a while, now, even though there were turns and descents. Luckily, there were no traps or forks in the road.

"Oh, come on. Tell me."

"Ugh, no."

"Do it."

"No."

"Tell me."

"Kid, if you keep asking, I'll rip out your tongue and choke you with it." Lucky looked genuinely pissed.

"Whatever. You're lame."

"You listen here. I am Lucky Star Jones! I have stolen the hearts of thousands of hot babes! I make so much money, I fill up a pool with it and swim in it! I am not 'lame'."

Tony rolled his eyes, and they found themselves in a room in the shape of an X. All of the sudden, Tony picked up the sound of muffled crying. He turned the corner and saw a little, brunette girl in tattered clothes, sobbing in a corner. She looked up to see the two, and suddenly tried to run away.

"Wait," Tony started, "We're not here to hurt you. We're here to save you."

"Yeah, your pops sent us." Lucky followed.

Roger landed and asked, "You're Marjoh, right."

The girl grabbed Lucky's waist and cried. Through sniffles, the girl spoke in a sing-songy voice, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Daddy told me not to run off. I'll never do it again, I promise. I just, I just, I saw a-"

She continued bawling loudly.

"It's OK, kid. Just let go of me."

"Are you OK?" Tony asked.

"No!" Marjoh practically screamed, "I saw these men, and these monsters, and they were after me, I swear. I didn't even find any treasure. I'm so sorry.

"Wait," Roger said sullenly, "Describe the men."

The girl blew her nose in her sleeve, "There was this shadow-y man, one with no arm, a girl in black and a lot of feathers, and another little girl with her, and a dinosaur. They didn't find me though. I ran so fast."

The three looked at each other, "That's not our people, is it." Roger asked.

"No, it isn't" Lucky responded, "C'mon, kid. We gotta get out fast." Roger, Tony, Lucky, and Marjoh turned back the way they came and practically ran back to the room they grouped in. However, when they reached the room with the three hallways and door, they were alone.

"What do we do, Lucky?" Tony asked.

"We wait, I guess."

Marjoh spoke up worriedly, "What if the monsters come to get us?"

"We'll be safe," Tony responded, "We just need to get our friends back. although we probably should have brought a flare or air horn or something to alert everyone."

"_That_ would have been smart." roger snidely remarked.

"This is boring," Lucky piped in, "Wanna hear a song?"

"Uh, no." Roger said rudely.

"Whatever, I'm singing anyway."

He did, and it sounded horrible.

"_Oh Baby! Oh Baby! You got it going ooooooooon, Babe! Oh Baby! Oh Baby! I waaaaaaaaana be with yoooooooou!"_

"Please," Tony begged, "You're hurting us."

Roger commented coldly, "You must of needed a tuning lacrima, if you say you made money at all."

"Whatever, you couldn't do better."

"I couldn't do worse."

And, in a cold standoff, no one talked while they waited for the others. However, minutes passed, and no one came.

Up until time suddenly seemed to stop around the four of them.


	6. Maze Full of Wizards

_Chapter 6 - A Maze Full of Wizards_

Chiron was in charge of the guild while the master was out. He was strongly against Marlow leaving, for he needed to stay and manage the guild. Chiron also felt that the whole quest was...off. Something was wrong that he couldn't put his finger on, yet he said nothing. Clouds began to form upon the horizon, posing the threat of a large storm. Nethertheless, Chiron was still in charge of watching over guild affairs and letting people go on quests. Melody and Rhyme were out dealing with a group of bandits targeting the small city of Peridot east of them. Isa and Hitari brought Anise and Juliet, hoping to start a team of sorts, with them while they went on a treasure hunting job pertaining to a sunken ship west-and-northward of Ceruleo. Erneslus Stone was sitting at one of the tables in the guild hall, all by himself. Other than that, the other members simply relaxed nonchalantly around the guild hall. Then, Hayle flew over to Chiron.

"You look all serious, is there something wrong?"

Chiron responded quietly, "I can't seem to lose the feeling that something is off, but it's probably nothing."

"You think so? You're seldom wrong when your instincts act up."

"I suppose you're right."

"You think something went wrong at the Labyrinth?"

"Not just that, but the other events that have occurred. We've yet to know who wrote the mysterious letter to Clara and Isa, not to mention the the job in Ivy Stone."

"You still never told me what was up about that. Wasn't it just a job dealing with a demon?"

"Not quite; on the surface, the job only mentioned the Aela demon, Vinde, that I've made a pact with."

"Oh yeah, that other bird. You've still never introduced me to her."

"My apologies, but getting back to the topic at hand, when I got there, the demon was already mostly subdued by the client, he just wanted me there as to receive another letter addressing me by I'm assuming to be the mysterious letter writer. He gave me the letter and loosed Vinde on me, to which I easily made a pact with. Don't get me wrong, I trust her, but I still don't understand why the client would have the letter delivered to him if it was for me."

"Do you think he was the author?"

"No, he seemed as confused as me about he; he did read it, though. I guess curiosity gets the better of some."

"Did you get a name?"

"Thomas Peyne, I believe. Anyway, the same day the letter came, as did the Aela demon. Being a wizard, Peyne subdued the demon quickly, but the letter instructed him to ask me to 'officially and publicly do the job' as to invite me over to get the letter."

"Odd, what did it say?"

Chiron sat silently for a moment, then said, "Besides Thomas' instructions, it said that we would need to go to Minetta's Labyrinth to find something of the author's."

Hayle gasped, "That's the place Arcadia's at!"

"Precisely."

"Wait, then who is this Erneslus Stone and why did he happen to come after you got the letter?"

"That's the answer I want to know."

The two stared cautiously at the suit-clad man as he casually sipped his coffee.

Water was filling the huge room slowly as a tentacle reached for Lorraine, glancing off of a magical ward that protruded from her ring. Arcadia's magic was quickly doused as soon as she tried to use it, so she was just yelling at Lorraine to, "Kill It! Kill It Now!" The voice of a woman heard before continued talking. "You can try, kids, but you're not gonna escape this room alive. You ever tangled with a Leviathan?'Cause few have lived to tell the tale." Neither Arcadia nor Lorraine could see where the voice was coming from.

"Show Yourself!" Lorraine shouted, but there was no reply. A tentacle swooped in from behind the two, but Lorraine quickly paralyzed it, leaving it immobile on the ground.

"I can't do crap, Lorraine, we need to get out of here."

"Any ideas?" Lorraine said sarcastically.

"Maybe…" Arcadia thought for a second, then had an idea, "Draw the tentacle towards the door; maybe he'll bust it open."

"It's worth a try."

The two ran to the door on the far side, drawing two tentacles toward them. Lorraine shielded one striking tentacle off, and drew her sword to strike the other. She barely missed, and the tentacle positioned itself towards her. Arcadia yelled, "Hey! Thing! I ate your mom at a seafood restaurant. She tasted rubbery!" Lorraine looked at her with a dumbfounded look as she mouthed _What? _The tentacle, however, went towards Arcadia, although it was due to hunting, not mockery. The tentacle struck her, but barely missed, striking the door. It wasn't broken, however, and Arcadia yelled again, "You're face is probably stupid!" Arcadia then muttered to herself, "Although I can't see- Nevermind! You suck!" Both tentacles poised toward her, while two more came from the hole. The water level came up to their knees now, and Arcadia yeled one more time,

"I'm pretty sure you can't understand me so words words words-"

She was cut off by four tentacles striking the door she was at, Arcadia almost dodged all of them, but on struck her in the shoulder, dislocating it. Arcadia swore, and Lorraine ran towards her, pushing her into the room before another tentacle struck her. She got up, and ran up a hallway. Tentacles followed, but got caught in the doorway. The two ran up the stairs. When they reached the top, they entered a room with two more hallways. They disregarded all sense of caution and plopped themselves in the center of the room, exhausted.

Arcadia was the first to speak, "Who the hell was that?"

"I don't know, but I don't believe she belongs here."

"Yeah...Wait."

"What?"

"We can't go back that way. How are we going to get back?"

"I don't know, keep pressing forward?"

"Sure." Arcadia got up, but then felt a sharp pain in her shoulder. She let out a cry of pain and then swore some more.

"Here, let me set it back." Lorraine offered.

"What!?" Arcadia responded, "That's gonna hurt like a bitch!"

"It'll hurt less than not doing anything."

Ughh," Arcadia moaned, "Fine…"

Lorraine did, and Arcadia cried some more

"You're such a child. It doesn't hurt that bad."

"Your mom doesn't hurt that bad!" Arcadia yelled, but Lorraine just shook her head. Arcadia felt bad suddenly, "Thanks, I'm not a very mature person."

"I can see that."

"Sorry…"

"It's alright, let's press onward."

"Sure."

The two went down the right hallway. It went downward, then turned right. They entered another room, one that was shaped hexagonally. In the middle of the room stood a large stone monument with words on it. The two went down to it to read it, but it was written in some sort of old text that Arcadia couldn't read.

"What the hell is that?"

"It's a text from the Old Kingdom of Sin, I trained in a lot of texts and languages when I was younger."

"...Who are you?"

"I was a busy child." Lorraine muttered quietly.

"Well, what does it say?"

"Hmm...Let me see...I think it's...some sort of...incantation?"

"Ooh, what kind?"

"It says 'The' Something 'Incantation of…Zeref?"

"Wait, Zeref the bad-guy Zeref? The killed-a-lot-of-people Zeref?"

"I don't know, but I think so."

"Well ,what did Zeref do?"

"The incantation seems to call for a list of ingredients to make the spell work. I've never seen such an extensive list for an incantation, though."

"Go on."

"Let's see, it calls for, hmm… 'The Blood Opal of Minetta', 'Fire Bird Essence-'"

"Wait, like a phoenix?"

"I'd imagine."

"This is that incantation those Daunt guys were after! This is bad."

"Why?"

"'Cause they said this spell could kill any number of people that the caster chooses."

"That's Zeref for you." Lorraine mused as she gently laughed.

"Do you think that's what octopus lady's after?"

"It would make sense…"

"Ah, great. What else does the spell need?"

"...'Ink from' someplace I don't know, something else I don't know, 'Seven Sacrifices'," Arcadia looked surprised, "and...something about magic energy. You take the Opal, which is said to have the blood of Minetta in it, take the blood of the sacrifices, cleaned in...the thing I don't know and the phoenix feather, then write...something on the stone in ink, place it in a hole here in this stone, and...I don't know the rest."

Arcadia stood for a second in silence, then said, "What the hell kind of spell is that?"

"A powerful one."

Arcadia looked confused.

"Think about it; if you can control the lives of all, you rule the world."

"Oh," Arcadia responded with disgust, "What is...how do...Why's it here?"

"I don't know."

"What do we do?"

"I don't know…" Lorraine repeated, with a stunned look in her eye.

Suddenly, Lucky, Roger, Tony, and Marjoh, who had been frozen in time, heard a quiet, pained voice, "Why, hello. We were just on our way out. don't mind us." Behind the guy who had one arm, there was a shadowy figure and a...dinosaur? Tony was confused as to how he could see and hear him if time was frozen. "Oh, Atzedeck, is that the little girl the rabbits were looking for?" The shadowy man simply shrugged.

The dinosaur suddenly turned into a tall man who seemed to have scaled skin. He asked, "Wait, you say you saw rabbits? Were they talking rabbits?"

"Why, yes. You've met them before?"

"They are the ones who disbanded Daunt."

"So they've started a guild, hmm?"

"It seems."

The one-armed man with the clock tattoo turned to Lucky as he started time again and asked, "Are these rabbits yours?"

"Yeah, they're a part of my guild. why, what did you do to them?"

"Left them, I suppose. Forgive my asking, but you don't belong to the Ruby Phoenix Guild, do you."

"Why should I tell you?"

The one-armed man simply sighed as he said, "I'm going to stop time now; I can do that. Are you sure you want to deal with the consequences of your insolence?"

Tony spit at him. Roger yelled, "Stupid boy, _now_ you've done it."

"Fine, Atzedeck?" The shadow-man went toward him, but Tony was too fast.

"Cosmic Dragon Roar!"

A blast of what seemed to be stardust and force pushed toward Atzedeck. He was hit squarely on his head, but he melted into the ground in a puddle of shadow. The one-armed man stopped time and spoke through what seemed to be tears, "I fear you've made an enemy of us. Tell us the name of your guild or I'm afraid I'll have to kill the girl and you'll need to explain how you failed your mission."

Lucky hesitated, but relented, "Yeah, we're with Ruby Phoenix. Why?"

The dino-man spoke up, "Well, I met with your rabbit friends before, but I let them live on the account they didn't follow me. Why are you here?"

"We had to find the girl. That's all!"

The one-armed man and the dino-guy exchanged glances, then the one-armed man said, "That's what your friends said. It can't be coincidence. Who sent you?"

Lucky responded, "A man named Erneslus Stone; Marjoh's father."

Marjoh spoke up, "That's not my daddy! Daddy's name is Clark!"

Now everyone was confused. Tony looked at Lucky and asked, "Then who is that Erneslus Stone guy?"

Lucky spoke, "How should I know?"

One-arm then asked, "It seems that there are more players in this game then just us. Julius, find Beorra and Estelle. Destroy the guild."

"Stop!" Tony yelled.

"Who are you!?" Roger demanded.

"I am Clockhand, and I am simply a player in this game of life. You are but an obstacle, and I'm afraid I will prosper." He turned to Atzedeck and said, "We need to incapacitate these people, I fear, then continue looking for the Blood Opal. Would you do the honors?" And Atzedeck nodded.

Time stopped again. Julius turned into a dinosaur and ran off. Atzedeck came back and formed a collection of shadows around his fist and jabbed Lucky in the face, forcing him backward into Tony's frozen body. Suddenly, Clockhand formed a magic circle and there was a flash. Suddenly, everyone was gone. Marjoh passed out due to looked at Lucky, who was unconscious, and yelled, "Wake Up! We gotta get back to warn the guild! Lucky!"

Roger extended a claw and said snidely, "Allow me." as he scratched Lucky's face continuously. He woke with a cry of pain, "What the hell, cat?"

Roger just shrugged.

Tony spoke up, "Lucky, you gotta take Marjoh back to the guild and warn the others."

"Sure," He answered, "Whatevs."

Roger interrupted, "And just what will _you_ be doing?"

"We gotta find Marlow and Arcadia and Caden and Lorraine and tell them 'bout the guys!"

"It seems they've already met with Marlow…"

"But still! We gotta find them to get them to go back and help the guild!"

"I see."  
Lucky picked up Marjoh's fainted body as he ran off saying, "Don't die, kid. And save that babe for me, 'ya hear?"

Roger looked disgusted, "He's _twelve_."

"Whatever…" Lucky ran off.

"So," Tony started, "Whose path do we follow?"

"I believe Marlow and Caden, having _not _defeated these hooligans, need the most assistance."

"OK, let's go!"

"Fine."

Marlow and Caden continued down the hallway until they reached a turn that lead them to a hexagonal room. To their surprise, they found Arcadia and Lorraine, yet not Marjoh. Arcadia noticed them and asked, "Hey, you guys OK? You look bruised."

Marlow answered, "Yeah, we ran into some wizards, but they went away."

Lorraine looked confused as she said, "As did we, I think. Come look at this."

Marlow wondered out loud, "What about that girl?"  
"This is more important, guys." Arcadia responded.

Marlow looked concerned as he inquired, "More important than the job? What is it?"

Arcadia looked him dead in the eyes as she said, "This is literally the grocery list containing the recipe to kill everyone, probably."

"You mean that thing that that Ahiri guy wanted Hayle for?"

"Yeah, we believe so."

Meanwhile, Caden approached Lorraine, then dropped to one knee as he attempted to serenade her, "Hello, my darling sweet. I hope that no harm befell you on your journey."

Lorraine looked confused, "No...I'm fine."

"Thank heavens, my sweet. So tell me, what is this mysterious power you've discovered?"

Marlow spoke, annoyed, "It's that thing that those Daunt guys wanted," he turned to Arcadia, "So, this is an incantation...with a list?"

"Yep."

"That's kind of weird. Spells don't usually require ingredients."

"Yep."

"Well, do you know what it says?"

Lorraine turned away from Caden as she informed, "It was written in an ancient language, but I was able to decipher most of it. It calls for-"

Arcadia interrupted, "It needs a thing, another thing, Hayle, a rock, seven sacrifices, and magic."

Caden and Marlow looked stunned, then Caden spoke up, "Do you think that those wizards who we ran into and the wizards you ran into are looking for this?"

Lorraine solemnly answered, "We believe so."

"So, what should we do?"

Marlow responded, "First things first; I don't truly believe a single spell can do _that_-"

Arcadia interrupted, "What if we told you that Zeref made it?"

"The Black Wizard Zeref?" Caden asked

"If I've translated it correctly, I believe so." Lorraine answered.

Marlow continued, "OK, that changes things. We've got to stop those wizards when they get here."

"Who's to say they haven't already gotten here?" Caden declared.

There was a silent pause, then Marlow said, "OK, then...we stop them. Let's go back to the first room and see if Lucky or Tony found the girl, then we look for the wizards. If they're not there, then we go down the hallway they went down. If this incantation is a real thing, then we have to not let it come to fruition."

"What do we do with this room?" Arcadia inquired.

"We can't just leave this here." Lorraine added

Marlow responded, "We definitely cannot split up again; we are in a maze. This room is made of stone, and therefore indestructible to the best of our ability-"

"Just gravity it or something." Arcadia commented.

"Umm, no. That would take up too much magical energy and I would die. Anyway, we're going to have to leave here. Maybe I'll collapse the doorway or something, but only for one way. Can we go back the way you came, Arcadia?"

Lorraine and Arcadia simultaneously said, "No."

"Alright then, we'll go back our way then. You laid the rope down, right Caden?"

Caden looked down from where he stood and realized it was gone, "I think maybe; I don't know here, but those people may have taken it or something."

"You don't have it?"

" I do not."

Marlow let out a stressful sigh, then continued, "Then we guess. C'mon, let's go."

And they all went back the way Marlow came from, only to, unbeknownst to them, go down the wrong hallway.

Hayle and Chiron were starting to become suspicious towards Erneslus. They went over to Milo, who usually handled job requests and such, and questioned him on anything Erneslus may have told him.

"I am aware that the man simply barged into here urgently, yet, in order to have a legitimate job request, he'd need to give all the information regarding the job to someone."

Milo responded, "Yes, I asked him about the job's details. Why?."

Hayle implored Milo, "You need to tell us what he said."

"Well, he said that he was on some sort of business trip in Ceruleo when his daughter, Marjoh, went into Minetta's Labyrinth as they were nearby. He didn't know what drew here in there. He came to the nearest wizard's guild, which evidently was here. He had a carriage driver available to get there, and he said he'd pay 1,000,000 jewel. That's all, sorry."

"No, that's good enough." Chiron then turned to Hayle, "Does anything seem suspicious?"

"Well, if he were going to a meeting or something, unless he was coming from one to Ceruleo, why is he still here? Also, isn't there a guild in Dawn City or something, and one near the capitol or something. Those are closer, not to mention the fact that no trade routes or anything go through the woods by the Labyrinth."

"Right." Chiron answered.

"Wait," Milo started, "Sorry, but you guy's think that Erneslus is up to something. He is legit; I have the money with me."

"It's not the money that concerns me," Chiron responded, "On my last job, I received a letter explaining that I should go to the Labyrinth, and the next day, Erneslus comes with a job pertaining that location. The author was anonymous, but I believe he was the author who wrote to both Clara and Isa before the guild started."

"Do you think Erneslus wrote it?" Milo asked.

"I don't know."

Hayle interjected, "Chiron, you should go talk to him. See how he acts."

"I suppose that would be a good idea. Milo, don't tell anyone; I don't want to raise unnecessary attention."

"Got it."

Chiron walked over to Erneslus, who was sitting in the corner table calmly reading a newspaper. Chiron spoke, pretending to adapt a cheerful persona.

"Hello Erneslus. Can I call you Ernie?"

"I prefer Erneslus, if you don't mind."

"Sorry. So, I was thinking that the Labyrinth is a dangerous place, and maybe I should send someone else to see how the group is faring."

"Isn't six enough? I don't know much about it. If you think you should send more, please do; anything to save my daughter."

"OK, I will. So….tell me about your daughter."

"Oh, Marjoh?" Erneslus put down his newspaper and coffee, then continued, "Ever since I lost my wife, she has been the light of my life; company be damned. My employees and consultants think I spend too much time with her and should spend more on economic whatnot, but I just love her too much."

"What does she look like?"

Erneslus recollected for a moment, then spoke, "She has long, brown hair, like her mother; not me. She's pale and short, but she has a lovely voice. I can't," He sniffled into a handkerchief, then continued, "I can't bare to live without her. Thank you so much for helping."

"No problem!" Chiron smiled brightly, which was an emotion he seldom displayed, and walked back to Milo and Hayle, "He didn't do anything too suspicious."

"Maybe he's being played as well by someone?" Hayle suggested.

"Either that," Chiron responded, "Or he is an excellent actor. I suppose we wait, for now, to see what happens."

Lucky went back the way they came, and thankfully, there were no traps to kill him. He carried Marjoh's unconscious body with him, which was difficult due to Lucky's inability to carry much weight. And just in case you were wondering, she weighed 85 lbs (that's about 37 kg.) As soon as he reached the gates leading into the Labyrinth, he plopped Marjoh down and took a breather.

"That carriage better still be there…" Lucky muttered to himself as he stood up and carried the girl for a little while longer. After about a minute, he dropped her, and yelled, "WAKE UP, I'M NOT CARRYING YOU ANYMORE!"

She woke up with a start, "Ah! What happened?"

"Tony went back to find the others and I got stuck with bringing you back to the guild."

Marjoh looked confused, "But daddy and mommy aren't at the guild."

"Yeah, yeah. But there's a guy there who's claiming to be your father or something. Wait, What does your dad look like?"

"Well, daddy has curly brown hair and he smell like fish a lot, and mommy has straight brown hair and she knits pretty clothes."

"Do they live in Ceruleo?"

"Yes, sir."

Lucky though for a moment, confused. Then he inquired, "Do you know anything about an Erneslus somethin'-or-whatever. He's blonde and wears a stupid suit."

Marjoh got a look on her face, as if in remembrance of something, "Yeah, there was a man in a suit. He came to our house one day asking about some colorful man and a phoenix. I didn't hear much, though; mommy put me to bed."

"Did he say Ruby Phoenix?"

"Yep, that's what he said."

"What did he say about it?"

"I don't know; I didn't hear."

Lucky suddenly had a serious look on his face, "OK, kiddo, let's get back to your folks. I got a carriage around here or something."

They looked, and the carriage was no where to be found.

Lucky got annoyed, "Fine! We'll walk! I don't even care anymore."

"Just don't sing, mister. My ears still hurt from last time."

"Shut up, kid."

The two continued through the woods in contempt silence. Finally, the two ventured among a trail, and they didn't have to walk far before they found a random carriage en route to Ceruleo carrying honeymooners. Lucky paid the driver, and the two were off with a constantly kissing man and woman. They didn't say much through their locked lips, so Lucky was left to just stare out the window while Marjoh kept asking why the man was grabbing the woman's chest.

Tony wandered through hallway and hallway. After a while, he emerged into a large room with various walkways connected to form a maze. There were edges off the sides of the walkways which led into an abyss.

"Well this puzzle's stupid. You can just fly me across." Tony suggested.

"And what makes you think the maze isn't trapped" Roger challenged.

"C'mon, that'de be way too much effort to put into one room."

"_Fine_, but don't complain if I drop you."

"You wouldn't."

"Not voluntarily, but if so due to the fact that I am no weight lifter."

"Oh, OK." Tony thought for a second, "Then I'll walk and you show me the way."

"Sure…"

Roger sprouted his Exceed wings and flew over the abyss and onto the doorway leading further into a hallway. Roger made it to the center of a crevice, but was suddenly caught by a force that pulled him down. "Roger!" Tony yelled, but then, the red cat fell from the ceiling, moving faster than before. Tony thought fast, then roared a Cosmic Dragon Roar, knocking Roger unconscious, but safe.

"Roger! Are you Alright?" Tony yelled as he raced over to the spot that the Exceed lay. Roger sputtered out in pain as he sarcastically remarked, "Idiot...I...told you...it as trapped."

"Don't talk, you need to save your energy."

"I'm not going to...die...if that's…what you're thinking."

"Of course not, buddy. I'll carry you."

Roger passed out, but Tony carried him further into the maze. He emerged into a hallway and out of the room after meandering through the maze. He went through more hallways and rooms after a while when he emerged into a hexagonal room with an odd stone tablet written in a foreign language. He waited there for Roger to recuperate. But, after a while of sitting there, he began to hear voices. The first was a woman's,

"...alright, but do you know the way out of this damned maze."  
The second's was the dinosaur man from earlier, "Estelle, would you kindly find a way out?"

A young girls' voice was heard. It seemed stressed, "A-alright."

There was a pause, then Estelle spoke, "Beorra, Julius, there are people in the next room!"

Beorra responded, "More wizards? Why are there so many of them in-"

Julius interrupted, "Shh! They might be able to hear us." There was a pause, then Julius whispered, "They're from a guild; the guild Clockhand said for us to destroy. They're looking for a girl or something who got lost."

Roger, having woken up, spoke softly to Tony, "They're three to one against us, we need to run."

Tony challenged, "We're not gonna run, I can take 'em."

"Tony, don't!"

And suddenly, the three step foot into the hexagonal room. One was a black-haired, red-eyed woman who dressed in a black robes and pants, save for the colored feathers she wore. The second was a white-haired little girl who wore an eyepatch and had a crossbow. The third was a dinosaur.

Beorra was the first to speak, "Heh," She laughed, "It's just a kid. Hey kid, what are you looking for?" Suddenly, a black door opened up in mid-air and a humanoid shape appeared, entirely made of beetles.

Beorra continued, "Kill 'em!"

The man of beetles thing broke apart and swarmed towards Tony and Roger, but they turned tail and ran out of the room. Tony heard Julius speak, "Find them, before they can warn their guild." Tony ran down a different hallway than he originally went to get there. He kept running, with the swarm of beetles close behind, regardless of traps. He ran so fast, that he managed to catch up to Marlow, Caden, Arcadia, and Lorraine. He crashed into them, and all six were pushed over an edge and into a large pool of water in a large room.

Marlow was the first to speak, "Tony! Good, we found you. Where's Lucky?"

Tony responded through gasps of air, "We found Marjoh, huh, Lucky took her back, huh, she's not Erneslus' girl."

Everyone except Arcadia spoke in unison, "What?"

Arcadia said something else, "Ass-hats! I can't swim. And the water's rising!"

And she was right, the water level of the room seemed to rise. The door in which the five wizards fell through seemed to seal itself off, as did another door leading elsewhere. However, the beetle-man seemed to be lock behind the seal.

"Holy Fuck! I'm drowning!" Arcadia screamed as the water levels surrounded her head. Lorraine grabbed her and pulled her up, due to the fact that rabbits and children can't lift much weight.

"I've got you." Lorraine comforted as Arcadia kept cussing. The water still rose, despite Marlow's efforts to block off the flow. It seemed to come out of no where, until Caden looked up and saw a hole in the ceiling.

"Guys," Caden started, "We have to swim towards that hole-ceiling-thing."

And they all swam, except Arcadia, who was dragged. The water kept rising until all were swept through the hole and deposited back into the room that Arcadia and Lorraine were before, the one with the kraken-thing. Despite being soaking wet, everyone got out unscathed.

Arcadia sat by herself, looking stunned and afraid. Marlow was the first to try to comfort her, "Are you OK, Arcadia?"

She responded, "No, I...that was a lot of water."

Tony asked, "You afraid of water or something?"

"Well, she is a fire wizard," Lorraine answered, "but why weren't you afraid when we were here earlier?"

"I can handle water and stuff, considering I need to drink it too live. I just...I can't swim."

Caden further elaborated, "She had that problem ever since we were children."

The five wizards and a now conscious cat were recuperating from another trapped room when Lorraine spoke up, "Arcadia and I were in this room earlier, I believe I can find our way out at this point."

Arcadia continued, "Yeah, but what about those other wizards?"

"We need more than just us to defeat them. Their power exceeds ours at this point, and we don't have the strength to use a substantial amount of magic."

Marlow had a struggled look, then said, "She's right, I can't float that much right now. My magic energy is drained."

Caden, however, managed to turn invisible, "Hmm, I seem to have more strength than all of the rest of you." then he laughed. Arcadia hit him, "You don't even do anything."

Everyone laughed as Caden rubbed his head, but everyone stopped laughing as they heard a familiar voice in the doorway. Everyone turned to see Clockhand and Atzedeck at the hallway that led out of the maze.

"I'm afraid I can't let you leave. My associates learned that you have learned our plans, and we can't let you find Minetta's Opal…"

"Really!?" Arcadia challenged, "I don't even care about the bad things, I don't care what you do, I just want my booze!

"I'm sorry, but my associates are sent to destroy your guild."

"Oh," Marlow answered, "Then we're going to have to stop you. Great."

"You believe you can?"

"I don't know, probably. I don't even care, there's, like, a dozen or more or whatever of us and two of you." Arcadia ranted

"Actually, there are six."

"Great. Now shut up." Then, Marlow tried to force Clockhand into the ceiling. However, he forgot his magic was drained. Arcadia got the hint and tried to spark a fire to alight the duo, but the water foiled any attempts to do so. Arcadia shrugged, then Tony spoke up, "I guess it's up to me!"

Caden interrupted, "Not really, I'm fully capable of-"

"Well then shut up and do something." Arcadia double interrupted.

Caden suddenly vanished, then Tony took in a breath of air as space itself seemed to shimmer. Suddenly, he let out a Cosmic Dragon Roar, but instead of stardust, it was a stream of pure, dark force. Caden then reappeared behind Clockhand, but it was too late. Clockhand suddenly appeared just out of reach as Atzedeck gathered shadows and was about to unleash them upon Caden. Caden simply stood there and took the full front of the attack, or so it seemed, as the shadow energy passed through Caden and hit Clockhand, sending him flying.

"Hah, Imbecile! No one bests me once and hopes to get away with it!"

Then, his knife was gone. Clockhand reappeared wieling it at Lorraine's throat.

"No!" Caden yelled, "My Lovely Flower! I yield! I am defeated, you sly bastard!"

Lorraine shrugged, and the one-armed man was on the ground. Lorraine's paralysis stunned him and he was unable to move. Meanwhile, Atzedeck shrank into a shadow, then flowed towards Lorraine and the rest. However, Tony was too fast, and he let loose a shimmer of cosmic force, and he was forced out of the shadow. Caden vanished, then reappeared with his Moonstabber as he struck the man over and over again. Atzedeck parried with a shadowy arm, then blasted Caden towards the wall. This attack hit, however, and Caden was sent back. Atzedeck turned to see Tony, who let loose another Cosmic Dragon Wing Attack. the ground around the shadow man was crushed, but then, he was succumbed to a sharp sense of pain, via Lorraine. Caden rushed back, and struck the man with his blade, draining his magic power completely. The five wizards won the battle, even though Arcadia and Marlow were useless. The two wizards were subdued, and Marlow tied them up with a tight rope as so they wouldn't escape. Caden smugly muttered, "Lame. That wasn't a difficult fight." Lorraine began interrogating,

"Who are you and what do you want with us?!"

Clockhand began crying as he responded, "I-It is t-too late. Our colleagues h-have already left for your guild. We and them are j-just catspaws of a-anoth...another...faction."

"What faction?"

"Nevermind. It doesn't matter anymore. Th-the three after your guild will destroy it, i-it is their...specialty."

Marlow then looked confused, "You said there were six of you… but there is two here and three after our guild."

Clockhand stopped sobbing, and eerily regained his usual, melancholic tone, "The sixth...I'm afraid our superior doesn't partake in our affairs. He was not to accompany us on our endeavors to find the Opal."

Lorraine inquired, "The Opal to accommodate Zeref's Incantation, I presume?"

"Zeref? What does he have to do with anything?" Clockhand's voice was becoming less sad and more serious and deep.

"The Incantation to kill any person the caster chooses?"

"That is not the necessity of the Incantation, nor does it have anything to do with the Black Wizard. How did you come to believing that?"

"The Stone Tablet I read?"

Clockhand's hand tattoo then began to move to form a clock's face resembling 12:00. "You are wrong." He uttered in a guttural tone, then his entire head twisted sideways. his body disintegrated in mid-air, and a white magic circle formed above them. And the two wizards disappeared, or so they thought. Atzedeck, the tall shadow man, was at the far doorway as he said in a deep voice, "The Opal," He suddenly melted into a shadow and left.

Arcadia hung her mouth open, then, after a moment of silenced, said, "What the hell?"

After a very long and awkward carriage ride with a fondling pair of honeymooners, Lucky and Marjoh arrived in Ceruleo. Marjoh guided Lucky to Marjoh's real parent's house, and, thankfully, they were both there unharmed. The two, a young couple, were a lovely looking lady who sewed dresses, and a gruff looking fisherman. They were both visibly worried, due to their lost daughter,but upon seeing her safe, the burst into tears of joy and hugged her. The insistently thanked kluck for finding her, and the lady rushed her daughter upstairs to clean her up or something. Lucky began to question the man, "Clark, was it?"

"Yes? What do you want? Anything at all."

"I was wondering if you met a dude by the name of Erneslus Stone."

"Oh…" His voice trailed off, "Erneslus...yeah, He came in a few days ago asking directions or something. However, after a while, he seemed transfixed with our daughter, and he kept asking questions about her."

"Like what?"

"Like...her favorite food, her bedtime, allergies. Things like that. I told him that he was acting strangely and I told him to get out. he looked me dead in the eyes and told me to be silent. Just that, 'Be Silent.' After long, Marjoh disappeared. I was going to go to the guard or a wizards guild, but I was afraid that Erneslus would do something awful to her. I did as I was told and kept silent, but then you came and brought our dear Marjoh back unharmed. I'll never be able to thank you enough."

"No probs, but…"

"But what? What is it?"

"Erneslus told us, he, uh, went to my guild, that is, that he was her father, and he sent us to Minetta's Labyrinth to look for her."

"Oh my… I hope you and your friends weren't hurt or…"

"Oh, no. no. They're fine. I was just stuck with- er...sent back with your daughter. All's well.." _I hope._

"Where's Erneslus?!"

A dark thought went to Lucky, "...At our guild, oh crap."

"Oh no! Let us help you! We'll, my wife and I, we'll get the guards to help you!"

"That would be amazing. Sorry I can't stay and chat, but there's a pedo-bad buy at my guild."

"What's your guild's name?"

"Ruby Phoenix."

"We'll never forget you as long as we live."

Lucky stopped for a second, then asked, "Do you have any money?"

"Of course, how much do you need?"

"Enough for a carriage ride, and some food. That'll probably be enough."

"Consider it done, sir." And Clark gave him enough jewel for his request. Marjoh came downstairs looking cleaner and prettier in a white dress. She was smiling, "Thank you, Lucky. You saved me!"

"That I did, sis," he started, "By the by, what's your guys' full names?"

Clark answered, "I am Clark Hollens, this is my wife Holly, and our only daughter Marjoh."

"Got it, see ya."

And Lucky left. He paid for a _reliable _carriage back to the guild hall, and nagged the driver to hurry up as it was important. Lucky had to warn the guild about Erneslus, and probably the wizards in the Labyrinth, and just a whole bunch of important things.


	7. The Battle, The Opal, and Confusion

_Chapter 7 - The Battle, The Opal, Confusion!_

"So…" Arcadia started, talking to Tony, "What the hell even is Cosmic Dragonslayer Magic?" The five wizards and a cat were traversing the Labyrinth hallway after hallway. Thankfully, there were no traps, but, being drained of magical energy, everyone decided to take a break to recuperate.

Roger chastised, "Do not swear around him, he's _twelve_."

"Oh whatever, I heard you Dragonslayer guys need to eat the stuff of your element. What do you gotta eat to get your power? And why did you just suck air, or...space...or what?"

Tony responded eagerly, "Well, if I'm outside, I eat the light of the sun, moon, or stars, depending on what's in the sky. I don't _really _eat their light, but I do eat the space" The word space said with air-quotes, "of them, or what you see of them and what light that shined to us. If I'm inside, though, I just eat whatever light's leftover, and bend the space to do so!" He smiled, but Arcadia was still confused, "That literally went over my head."

Roger corrected, "Not _literally, metaphorically_. Use your words correctly."

"No one asked you, cat." Arcadia snapped, "Anyway, why is there light all around us? Aren't we in a tunnel or something? And there's no torches."

Marlow shrugged, "I don't have a clue. To tell the truth, I'm far too confused right now for these kind of questions."

"I second," Caden seconded, "How about m'lady? Has she any clue?"

Marlow began to feel crushed as Lorraine, who had been lost in thought, spoke up, "I have no idea, all I know is that we cannot let that Atzedeck get the Opal."

Arcadia continued that thought, "Well, here's what I'm confused about right now; Who the hell are those wizards? What the hell do they want with the Not-A-Desolation Incantation? Why is Marjoh not the hell Erneslus' daughter? And...other things?"

"Mind your tongue, woman, or I'll claw it out."

"Shut up."

Marlow commented, "Arcadia's right, though. Who is this Erneslus Stone.v I don't trust him at the guild ha-"

Tony interrupted, "Don't worry, I sent Lucky back to warn everyone of the wizards and Erneslus. Hopefully he didn't get sidetracked."

Oh, irony.

Marlow continued, "Well at any rate, do you think we should send someone else back to the guild hall to help. I have a bad feeling."

Lorraine challenged, "That would be unwise. we all need to stop Atzedeck and his apparent superior from finding the Opal."

"I know," Marlow muttered, "It's just… something seems off. Chiron was right."

Arcadia, who went ahead, yelled, "Well, for now, we gotta stop bad things. I don't want people to die and-"

Then, the floor that everyone was standing on suddenly separated from the rest of the hallway, which was expanding along with the walls. Arcadia stepped on a trigger. Small bars came from the floor, and the platform they were on, which was center of the walls and platforms that were moving away, started spinning vertically.

Marlow yelled, "Everyone hang on!" and they all flipped upside down. As everyone hung on, the platform moved back to normal, with everyone under it. Suddenly, gravity reversed, and the bars of the ceiling everyone was holding onto became the floor. They all collapsed.

"Damn it!" Arcadia yelled, "Things are wrong!"

Lorraine stated calmly, "We need to find a way back to normal gravity and carry on. And this time, be more careful."

Marlow suggested, "I can flip u back to normal."

Lorraine looked up at the vast, ceilingless (or maybe floorless?) abyss above them. "I think not," she answered.

"Well, let's _try_ not to dawdle, we need to find Atzedeck." Roger said snidely.

Everyone travelled down the hallway under where they were originally were headed, and, after a while, the hallway spiralled back towards normal gravity. The group of wizards were blessed with a normal ceiling again.

Arcadia ominously questioned, "Are we gonna be able to find our way back?"

"I don't know…" Marlow's voice trailed off. The five wizards and Exceed entered a circular chamber with a minor amount of treasure in the center on a raised platform; gold and jewels and whatnot. Almost immediately, Marlow snapped at Arcadia, "If you so much as look at any of the treasure, I will skin you!" She simply shrugged. Oddly enough, everyone complied, not curious as to what traps the treasures spurned. The travelled down the left hallway and went up some stairs. The stairs led to more stairs and a door. Caden tested the door with his magic, and found it untrapped. He opened it to find a pathway that led outside on the cliff-face of a mountain. The six stepped outside to see that night had already fallen. The cool, fresh air felt good on everyone's weary bones, but they kept pressing on through another door that led back into the mountain. Caden tested it and said, "Hey, everyone. This has a trap thing."

"Well," Arcadia started, "What is it?"

"I don't know. All I know is that there is a lacrima fueling the trap or something."

"I guess _I'll_ have to find it." Roger muttered. He found it in the ceiling, and bit it to pieces. Suddenly, there was a strange ticking noise, and Caden yelled, "Everyone through the door!" They all rushed inside, and just in time, for the platform on the cliff started to fall back into the cliff, leaving no room for footing. Should anyone have stayed, they would have plummeted to their doom. The door slammed shut and locked.

"Fuck…" Arcadia spoke

"I swear that I will end you if you keep using foul language!" Roger practically yelled.

"What's...fuck?" Tony asked, and Roger flew up and slashed Arcadia in the face. She then began to summon fire to retaliate, but Marlow glared at the both of them and they stopped in contempt silence. Everyone followed down the hallway and then down some stairs until they made it to another hexagonal room, albeit larger than the last. In the place of a stone tablet, there was a table with inscriptions written in the same language of the last tablet, the Ancient Text from the Old Kingdom of Sin. Lorraine was able to translate most of it, revealing a riddle.

Lorraine began, "I believe there is a riddle. It says, 'Voiceless I cry, and wingless' something, something 'I bite, and mouthless mutter.'"

Arcadia looked confused, "How do we solve half of a riddle?"

Lorraine said with determination, "We still have to try, I think the table says the Opal is in here."

"Well," Caden began, "How do we answer it, vocally?"

"No," Marlow answered at a different area of the room, "There are tiles with all twenty-four letters. I think they belong on the table in order."  
Lorraine continued, "Well, there is a simple line on the table, but not holes, so we can't know how long the answer is, but at least we know it doesn't repeat letters."

There was concentrated silence, then Tony suggested, "An ostrich?"

"How does that make any sense?" Arcadia asked.

"Well, you think of something."

"Well, how about any animal that doesn't fly, like you, Marlow and Caden?" She laughed meanly.

"Thanks…" Marlow said menacingly, "but, if it mentioned wingless, it probably entails something that flies, just without wings. Plus, rabbit has two B's."

"Bunny?" Arcadia laughed louder.

"Two N's." Caden answered.

"Hare?"

"Is this funny or something? I don't really mind being a rabbit." Marlow stated.

"Whatever you say, shorty."

Roger started, "A cloud?"

Caden responded, "Clouds don't mutter."

"Well, what flies and bites?" Roger challenged.

"Gravity?" Marlow suggested.

They tried, put the table didn't budge. Everyone stared for a moment, then Lorraine spoke up, "Wait, what about wind?"

Everyone face-palmed, and Lorraine put the word together. The table glowed and the tiles spelling 'wind' sank into the stone table. The table moved and revealed a stairwell leading downward into a crowded room. Caden checked first, and found no traps. Lorraine found another tablet and Minetta's Blood Opal in a crowded, small room. The tablet read, 'Here is Minetta's Blood Opal. Opening of a Door.'

"Did Minetta come from Sin or something, 'cause there's a lot of this font." Arcadia asked.

"Must be," Lorraine answered, "Well, in any event, we found the Blood Opal. We can leave now, and hopefully before the others find this."

A strange, yet familiar voice sounded, "I'm afraid you've no hope."

Atzedeck stood before the only exit.

"You talk?!" Caden exclaimed.

The shadowy man only melted into the ground a disappeared. Marlow attempted to lift him into the air, but couldn't find him to do so. Arcadia lit up the room with a brilliant fire, and the light of it illuminated the room drawing him out. Lorraine was just about to come towards him and subdue him until an even brighter light filled the room.

"Ah great," Arcadia started, "What now!?"

The bright light shimmered, then shrank to form a humanoid shape; a bright, white body. It sustained there in the air, then slowly formed features. The shape descended, and slowly formed into a woman with straight, long silvery hair and what appeared to be a wedding dress, minus the veil. She landed, then looked at Arcadia in answer, "I am Superior."

Atzedeck looked concerned as he spoke, "Superior, I am sorry. I have failed."

She simply looked at him, then formed a magic circle above his head. His head snapped in the same manner that Clockhand's did, and he disintegrated. The Bright Woman looked continued her statement, "My associates have failed, so I was sent to finish their job. You are all beneath me, so surrender or you will die."

Caden, in his everpresent brilliance, said, "No, Fiend! I cannot be defeated!"

Superior screamed, and the entire room was filled with a bright light.

It was the late hour of night, and stars dotted the sky above the guild hall. Chiron stood on top of the cliff above the hall alone, as most people were asleep. The only ones who remained awake were Milo, who was washing glasses, Francis, who silently drank tea in the corner, and Erneslus Stone. Erneslus hadn't slept nor ventured far from his table, content to read the same newspaper and ask about his daughter. Chiron suspected that the job regarding the Labyrinth would take a while, but not this long. Considering the events of late, Chiron was seriously thinking about going to the Labyrinth alone. Yet, he hesitated on leaving the guild alone with Erneslus. Chiron did a quick count as to who was left in the guildhall; _Me, Milo, Francis, Rowan, Clara, Claus, Milly, Maurice, Brutus, and Felicity. Can't forget about Hayle, and Milo doesn't count. I don't like this. _Chiron went back into the public pavilion and climbed down the stairs into the hall. He casually spotted Erneslus, and watched him for a moment discretely. He didn't show any signs of weariness, nor worry. He read his newspaper.

Chiron went back to the pavilion and watched to make sure nothing was wrong. He sat alone in a chair aimed out the door. Chiron then thought that he could ask for another's opinion; Vinde. A black door opened, and the backward-clawed bird appeared.

"What is it you need, master?" Vinde asked.

"I am not to be your master, just your friend, I suppose."

"Nethertheless, you called."

"Yes. You're caught up to current events, right?

"About."

"What is your opinion regarding Erneslus?"

Alea demons are known for not only causing weather mischief, but also knowing hidden intentions and knowledge, though not frequently. Just FYI.

"I am not sure," Vinde answered, " I mistrust him, but not entirely."

"Hmm, did you notice anything about him that I didn't?"

"Hmm...Now that you mentioned it, yes. Two things;" there was a pause, "He works below someone, and he uses magic."

"Interesting."

"Beyond that, he isn't lying about having a daughter, nor being the head of an important company. Those are both the truth, as far as I can tell."

"Then it could be...he's being played as well."

"Time will tell, I'm afraid."

"Yes. By the way, you never told me. Why did you come to Ivy Stone?"

Not responding, Vinde then took off and flew away to somewhere else. Chiron let her. He trusted her, but logically, due to the pact Demonologist Wizards make. Chiron stared off for a while in silence. All of the sudden, Chiron spotted the shape of a large bird on the horizon. Or was it?

"A demon." Vinde said as she flew back.

"It is? That's not good." Chiron acknowledged.

A voice sounded behind them, "No, it is not."

Erneslus appeared, and took on a more serious, calm tone than normal.

"What are you doing here?"

Erneslus responded, "I'm afraid I lied. Marjoh is not my daughter, nor am I all that seem." Chiron let him talk. "The money is real, as is the girl, but your friends are in a necessary peril. I need them to get to me something from the Labyrinth for my supervisor."

"Who would that be?"

"His name, as far as I know, is Eagle. His supervisor is someone else, and so on and so on, until you reach the Colours Man."

"Who is that?"

"I don't know, no one knows," He laughed. "That demon belongs to another Demonologist, and their group works against mine. They're going to destroy your guild." He laughed more.

"What am I to do, then?"

"Stop them."

There was a pause, then Erneslus continued, "I'll take my leave then, goodbye."

"Wait, st-"

There was a rustle of leaves in the trees, then Erneslus was gone. A sudden rain filled the atmosphere.

Vinde flew back down and explained the demon off in the horizon, "It seems to be a Vrock. Upon its back lie two wizards."

"A Demonologist?"

"It appears."

Chiron was taken aback. Up until now, he had been the only Demonologist that he had met. Another was coming. This didn't mean good news.

"We need to wake up everyone. They need to be stopped."

"Alright, I will hold them off."

Yet, when Chiron looked back to see the incoming wizards, he found them not. Chiron ran back into the guild hall and rang the alarm. Protocol for safety of the guild inquired that upon hearing the alarm, everyone was to come to the main hall and bar, but Chiron didn't want the wizards to get in, so he yelled, "Everyone come to the outside of the guild hall. We need to defend ourselves!" Groggily, Rowan, Claus, Milly, Maurice and Felicity entered into the hall. Milo and Francis, upon being awake already, followed Chiron outside.

Claus was the first to ask, "What's going on?"

Chiron answered loudly, as so everyone could hear, "We are under attack by two wizards, it seems. We need to protect our guildhall."

Everyone was slightly confused. Rowan questioned, "How come there are wizards after us? What you guys do?" He let out a relaxed chuckle.

"I don't know, but Erneslus is gone. I feel as though this has to do with the Labyrinth." Brutus and Clara filed into the room.

"What's the commotion?" Brutus shouted sleepily.

"Calm down everyone!" Chiron shouted, "We need to defend ourselves; a group of wizards is bound to attack us, for whatever reason. I have formulated a plan. Claus, Francis, and Rowan, follow me to the top to protect from the outside. They _can_ fly, so Brutus, Milly, Clara, Felicity, and...Maurice, you stay here and guard from that potential threat."

Milo spoke up, "What about me."

"Stay behind with Hayle."

"Hey," Hayle shouted, "I'm not _that_ useless."

"Sorry…" Milo said dejectedly.

"Let's go, everyone."

And everyone went. Chiron rushed up the stairs with Vinde perched on his shoulder as Claus drew his swords, Rowan grew a woody club of the wall, and Francis summoned a horde of spiders. Milly laid some fiery runes on the ground, Brutus ate one, Felicity got out her flute, Maurice unsheathed a normal sword, Clara sat quietly, Milo cowered behind the bar, Hayle sat and anticipated what was to come. Just as Chiron was about to leave the hall into the public pavillion, he glimpsed a horde of tentacles encroaching from the sea into the cliff-side the hall was in.

"No!" yelled Hayle, "Not Hentai!"

Lucky kept complaining.

First, the carriage broke an axle. The carriage driver, being an idiot, didn't have the necessary tools to fix the carriage, and the purple hog pulling it ran off after Lucky yelled a lot. Lucky tried to use his magic, but evidently, his luck had run out. After a barrage of swearing, Lucky stormed off, without a refund, back to the guild. He was who knows how many miles away from the hall, and he was tired, due to it being late at night. Lucky muttered to himself,

"Well, at least it can't get any worse." He then yelled at the sky, "Don't you dare rain 'cause I said that!"

Evidently, he still had some magic energy, because it only sprinkled a little. After a while, it downpoured. Lucky was yelling so loud to no one in particular that he was losing his voice. Tired, wet, hoarse, and in an adequate amount of danger, Lucky did not live up to his namesake. The rain fell hard.

The bright light suddenly dimmed, and the bright woman fell to the ground. Marlow couldn't move a muscle, let alone manipulate gravity. Tony lay in the corner, appearing unconscious, and Arcadia and Caden were hurt bad by the attack.

"Give to me the Opal." Superior whispered menacingly.

"What the hell kind of magic is that, jeez." Arcadia muttered. She was suddenly hit with solid light and knocked out. "I use Bright Denial magic, nothing." (Nothing used as some sort of weird insult.) She continued talking, "I summon the light if the stars themself, and use it to take away the powers of the unwilling, and the souls of the willing. I can rip a hole in reality itself!"

"What is that supposed to mean!" Caden shouted as he passed through the floor, dodging the light that Superior flashed at her. She shrieked and literally shone light through solid stone, striking Caden. "It means you are doomed. Now give me the Opal!" Marlow looked around, and noticed that Lorraine was no where to be found. She had the Blood Opal of Minetta. Marlow decided that he would hit Superior with one last jibe before she unleashed hell on him, "There is no answer I can give you that would prevent you from hitting me with your shiny magic."

"True enough, nothing." She flashed her Bright Denial, and Marlow felt the sheer force of a thousand burning suns. "Damn, that hurts." Marlow yelled, but he was still standing. Marlow pushed a part of the ceiling down on Superior, but she blasted it with light as if the stone were nothing but a shadow. As soon as the bright lady looked away, Marlow flung her into the sky and ran, or at least try to. Marlow meandered towards the door in pain, but not fast enough before he heard Superior shriek again and hit Marlow with a blast of Bright Denial magic. Marlow fell to the ground in an intense pain.

"Tell me where the Opal is!"

"I-I...can't. You're...t-too...crazy." Marlow stuttered painfully. She flashed the solid light again, but Marlow hanged on to consciousness a little longer.

"TELL ME!"

"L-Lor..a-nevermind." He passed out. So much for acting tough. Though you can't really act tough if you are a bunny...nevermind.

Meanwhile, Lorraine was in the room that was below the room the Opal was in, which was below the room that the crazy lady was in. Marlow had whispered for her to take the Opal and run while the first blast of light hit. Lorraine stood with her sword drawn, anticipating anyone coming into the room she was in, which happened to be a dead-end. _That woman's power is far more intense than mine it would seem, _she thought to herself, _I don't think my rings will affect her as much. I'll have to rely on hand-to-hand combat. _She waited patiently, listening to high-pitched shrieks and blasts of light breaking things. Lorraine was slightly worried, but nothing would discourage her resolve. She waited patiently. More screams. More blasts of light. Then, suddenly, ominous silence. Lorraine stood her ground, and the ceiling above her crashed. Lorraine deftly leapt to her side and glimpsed the lady in the wedding dress descending upon her.

"Give me the Opal, Under!" (Another weird insult.)

"Who are you!" Lorraine demanded.

"Not in a position to be ordered by the likes of you."

"Tell me who you work for!"

"I won't tell you. You're too weak. Now give me the Opal or die painfully!"

"I will defeat you."

"Try; I dare you, nothing."

Lorraine leapt towards Superior, and flourished around her to get on her flank. Lorraine opened with a side swipe, but Superior deflected it with a band of solid light. Lorraine kept hacking and slashing, trying to find an opening, but Superior kept deflecting, yet not attacking, like a cat playing with its prey. Lorraine shouted and lunged her sword toward Superior, but dodged to her side and used her Paralyze Ring on Superior. She fluctuated for a moment, but overall was impervious to Lorraine's magic. Lorraine tried to use her Pain Ring, but that didn't work either. Lorraine lunged again, and Superior only dodged. Lorraine breathlessly tried to get at her, but Superior was too strong. The bright lady smiled, and a blast of solid light pushed into Lorraine. Lorraine deflected the strike barely with her Shield Ring. Lorraine lunged again, but Superior flashed a second stream of Bright Denial magic. Lorraine was pinned on the ground, but not out yet. She rolled over and went for the door, hoping to elude her enemy. Superior turned to punish Lorraine for trying to escape with another blast of light, but Lorraine deflected the light into the ceiling, leaving a giant hole in the room where the Opal had been. Caden was there for whatever reason, and he leapt at Superior with his magic knife. He got a hit, and drained some of her magic. Lorraine thought she had the upper hand, but the bright lady shrieked again, and the whole room was illuminated.

"You insolent fools! You will die!"

And she unleashed a blast of light so intense, it seemed to rip a hole in the fabric of space itself. Superior blasted Lorraine again, but this time, it picked her up instead of pushing her. Lorraine was dragged towards the hole, and pushed through. Then, Lorraine was falling. She looked around, and at least the ocean was below her to break her fall. But..._is that the guild hall on the horizon?_

"What have you done with my beloved!?" Caden yelled.

"I pushed her away into a random pocket of reality. Do you now know that you cannot defeat me?"

"Nonsense!" Caden passed through the ceiling, and then fell through on top, trying to hit Superior with Moonstabber. She dodged, and tried to push Caden into the hole as well. Caden dodged the light and fell through into a wall. He was amidst stone, but suddenly not when a flash of light broke it. Caden tumbled away, then turned invisible. _I can't do this for a lot, however those words make sense with grammar, _Caden thought, _I'm running out of magical-ness_. Caden then rolled towards Superior and leapt, striking her with Moonstabber. She shrieked her awful scream again, and Caden was stunned for a moment. In that moment, a flash of light struck Caden, and he was flung back. It was up to Caden now, for Marlow, Arcadia, and Lorraine were down for the count. Tony too... _maybe? _Caden then swallowed his pride and yelled

"Tony if you're awake, I would like some assistance."

There was no response

Superior was pacing closer and closer to Caden, ready to throw him onto the oblivion that she had sent Caden's love. "You have delayed me long enough. We will both go now to the place that that nothing was flung into and retrieve the Opal. Then, you shall die." Caden tried to move, but it was no use. He was doomed.

"Cosmic Dragon Roar!"

Tony had come back with Roger in tow, and Superior was knocked over. She stood up again and screamed a blood-curdling scream, but Tony was quicker, "Cosmic Dragon Wing Attack!" A blast of light energy struck Superior and knocked her back. Tony continued, "You said you use star energy, yeah? Well, that's what I call a good dinner."

Roger smugly added, "Ah, _you_ were too dumb to realize we were playing dead."

"That is enough!" Superior screamed and let loose a blast of light, but it was all swallowed up by Tony

Caden spoke up, "Tony! Take my stabby-thing and stab her with it!"

Tony did, and struck her with it. All of the sudden, the light died down, save for the rift that Superior had created. Superior was sunken over in the corner, crying softly.

"Did we do it?" Caden asked.

Suddenly, there was a horrifying scream emitting from Superior, and a dozen rifts opened up in the room.

"DIE!" Superior screamed, and both wizards and the Exceed were flung into a rift.

Chiron saw as tentacles swarmed the hallway and flung people towards walls. Milly's traps, although few, were enough to incapacitate some of the tentacles. A bright flash seemed to emanate from Felicity, who played a haunting melody on her flute. Tentacles recoiled at the bright light, but not yielded. Chiron had yet to get to the top pavillion. He had to dodge whatever was creating the tentacles. Claus and Francis were already on top fighting whoever was there, but Rowan and Chiron were stuck. He climbed up stairs, as did the tentacles, but Rowan was fast. "Wood-Make Lance!" He yelled as he attempted to skewer one, but he missed. The tentacle was attempting to wrap itself around Rowan, but Chiron was too fast. He invoked the power of Vorlue and took to the sky, accompanying Vinde, and he grabbed Rowan and went out the door. At the top, Chiron looked back as Brutus breathed the fire ate, then gasped for air painfully due to the fact that fire is hot. Milly tried to etch more traps, Hayle attempted to manipulate fire feebly, Milo cowered in the corner muttering "Sorry,"Maurice just punched the tentacles brutally, Felicity made the temperature hot with her chorus, and Clara just sat in the corner sipping her tea. _She really needs to find a way to practically use her magic_, Chiron thought to himself. Whatever demon that came from the lake seemed to be subdued at the moment. Chiron flew out the door to see what Claus and Francis were fighting. Parrying and deflecting with Claus's light and dark swords seemed to be...a raptor?

"Julius!" Chiron yelled.

The raptor looked towards Chiron, "Ah, this is your guild it seems. The rabbits that we dispatched seemed to clue enough, but now the Demonologist appears. Prepare yourself."

"You know this creep?" Claus asked.

"Yes," Chiron answered, "What did you do with Marlow and Caden?"

"Well, Clockhand and Atzedeck should've defeated them and killed them, if that's what you're asking, and should they fail, well our Superior will arrive."

"If they should perish, you will pay dearly…"

"Then collect."

Suddenly, there was a flash, and a writhing mass of snapping, reptilian heads seemed to flow out of the glow. The hydra had appeared. Claus' eyes were wide, and Chiron was unwavered from determination, yet Rowan was in a state of shock. _No, no it can't be him. You...you destroyed my life. You destroyed my family. _It had been the monster that Rowan so feared from his childhood.

Julius spoke, "Now that I do not need to act according to that catspaw, Daunt, I will not hold bac-"

"You're the monster who destroyed my life!" Rowan yelled wildly, "Wood-  
Make Lance Storm!" Smooth wooden spires grew from the earth and pierced the hydra. Its snapping heads breathed fire and burnt the wood down to a crisp. Claus attempted to hack at one of the heads, and managed to dismember one. However, the thing about hydras is that that doesn't work too favorably. Two more grew in its place. Francis, from the shadows, summoned a swarm of spiders towards the hydra, but it just burnt those as well. Chiron was almost about to swipe with his scythe, but realized it would not work. _Think, Chiron, how shall we defeat him now…_ Then, lightning flashed, and Vinde, with her backwards claw, was illuminated. it started to rain heavily, and the lightning that struck Julius seemed somewhat effective. He recoiled slightly, but continued to breath fire at Claus, who deflected it with his swords. Rowan, in a blind fury, created more wooden lances, but a few of the hydra's heads caught notice and breathed fire at his direction. "Wood-Make Sheild!" He shouted, but the shield burned away and knocked Rowan back. Lightning flashed once more, but this time, Chiron wasn't of the same power of Vorlue. He now was possesed by the Caarln demon, Addox.

Tentacles kept streaming into the hallway, and Hayle felt helpless...again. _One of these days I need to ask Arcadia how the hell she controls her fire so well and to teach me how to do it, but that would involve...being below her._ A shiver went through Hayle's spine, but that wasn't all that did. A tentacle knocked her from the sky, and pushed Hayle to the ground. It wasn't without that, though, that the tentacle got burnt from Hayle's being-on-fireness-sometimes. Another tentacle flew at her, but hit one of Milly's runes and flew backward. _What even is this thing? _More tentacles came from the sea to fulfill anyone's Hentai nightmares (and that's enough with that joke.) Milo was, surprised, knocked out in the corner. Milly kept trying to create more traps, but was running out of magical energy. Felicity's flute had a minimal effect as well, and Brutus didn't _really_ want to continue eating fire. However, that Maurice character was still kicking. Even though he didn't use his magic at all during the battle with the octopus-thing, but his strength alone was enough to subdue the tentacles enough. Despite not wanting to be, Hayle was useless at the moment. Nothing she could do right now would have any effect on the tentacles. Suddenly, the tentacles recoiled and flew back into the ocean. It wasn't the end to their troubles, however, because one tentacle had climbed towards the hall. This one had two people sitting calm on it, though; a little girl and a tall, loud woman dressed in feathers. _I find that offensive! _Hayle thought to herself.

"Why hello, weaklings. That Leviathan demon you fought was just warm-up, I want to get to the main event myself, eh sis?" Said the feathery woman.

"Yes, sister," the younger girl said, "I can't help you much, but it seems that Julius is just about done with the wizards upstairs, save the...other Demonologist?"

"You see another Demonologist?! How?"

"I don't know."

Maurice broke their conversation, "Hey, you guys can't just sit there and destroy our guild, then just talk there like we don't matter. I'm gonna pummel you and I don't care if you're a girl!"

"Whatever, dude. I've taken down a whole lot more guys bigger than you, and hairier too."

"Them's fighting words!" Maurice lunged towards the feathery woman and attempted to beat her at hand-to-hand combat, but the woman glowed and took the form of what Chiron looked like when he invoked the power of Vorlue. She flew up, then came down towards Maurice. He took the blow with his fist, but she darted to the side and flanked him. The blow that the Demonologist had inflicted on Maurice caused him to fly towards the wall, but she wasn't done. The feathery woman came at him and kept striking. Hayle attempted to sneak up on the littler girl; she could take her. But, as soon as Hayle flew in close, she said, "Fool bird, I use Remote Viewing magic. I can see you coming."

"Well, that's not gonna do much to stop me is it?" Hayle challenged.

"No, I suppose not. But this might." The little girl darted beneath her, then jumped high. Striking Hayle with her foot and knocking her to the ground. She continued speaking, "I can read your weakness, and you have plenty, bird. I am Estelle, and this is my sister Beorra. We belong to the faction Chaos' V-"

"Hey, shut it!" Beorra spoke, "We don't want them knowing our names! That's why we don't bring you on the people missions; you spill too much information, super-villian style."

"My apologies, but we defeat kill these wizards easily so I though it didn't matter."

"Oh, OK then."

Suddenly, a black door opened, similar to Chiron's, and a humanoid shape came from it. Beorra continued,

"This is a Svarni demon. Sick 'em."

And the humanoid shape melted into thousands of beetles swarming over Maurice. Milly, apparently being afraid of bugs, screamed and ran away, and Brutus lost his appetite. Maurice, however, was smart enough to collapse on a fire trap, and the beetle-man hissed and shrieked as it burnt. The flames didn't kill it, however, and it went towards him again. Felicity tried to back him up, but Beorra was too fast and flew into her, knocking away Felicity's flute. Hayle saw as they were practically defeated, and wished that a wizard would fall out of the sky to aid them. Then, as she glanced upon the ocean, a rift opened up in the sky, and shapes fell from it into the ocean. _OK, I was being sarcastic, Chiron and those guys will probably defeat that guy upstairs, then help us. I was joking about the divine intervention thing._

Marlow woke up with a splitting headache and tried to remember what had happened to get him in the dark place. Then he remembered, and wondered why he wasn't dead. _I guess I'm more powerful than I give myself credit for._ The darkness in the Labyrinth was difficult to see anything with, and there was a low, humming sound. Thankfully, there was no random shrieking, so it would seem that Caden and Lorraine defeated the crazy lady. Marlow spotted Arcadia, and turned human momentarily to drag her from the rubble. She was bloody and bruised, but breathing. Marlow shrank back into a bunny, then tried waking Arcadia up by smacking her face. Arcadia woke up with an equally painful headache as Marlow, but wasn't as abrasive as she could have been. Must be the lack of alcohol.

"Arcadia, be quiet, but are you OK?" Marlow whispered.

"No. I have a hangover and I didn't even drink."

"Great. Now, I'm not sure, but I think Caden and Lorraine defeated Superior."

"You mean the...glowy lady?" Arcadia was tired, it seemed.

"I'm not sure, but I think so."

"Yay."

"C'mon, let's go look for them."

"OK."

No one was in the room, save for broken statues and rubble. There were holes leading into rooms below the room Marlow was in. He peered into them, but saw no one. He floated himself and Arcadia down to investigate, and found the source of the humming noise; a weird rift in space, just hovering there.

"Don't touch it, Marlow." Arcadia whispered.

"You don't have to tell me twice."

They looked around, but found no one from the guild. They didn't even find Superior anywhere. Marlow had the thought that the rift took them or something, but that was preposterous. _Maybe Caden and Lorraine left us here to go live a happy life without me and adopted Tony and took in Roger as a pet cat and Caden will never love me. _Marlow got sad, but then thought rationally and cheered up a little. He peered into the rift and only saw the ocean. He thought he caught a glimpse of a cliffside with a building on it, but couldn't find it again.

"You know what, scratch that thought. I think they all fell into this rip." Marlow spoke with a normal leveled voice.

"What is it, like, a portal or something?"

"I think so."

To the ocean?"

"That's what it looks like."

"So...everyone's in the ocean."

Marlow peered deeper into the rift, trying to make out any shapes or lights of magic. There was nothing to be seen save for the waves crashing...amongst a cliff? The shape earlier was definitely not a trick of the light

"Wait, I think this is near, like, land or something." Marlow commented.

"So, if everyone jumped through, they'd be OK? Can people survive jumping from this height into the sea?"

An idea suddenly appeared in Marlow's head, "I don't know, but I want to get out of this Labyrinth as soon as possible."

"You're not thinking of jumping through that, are you? I pegged you as less of a lunatic."

"Arcadia, I have Gravity Magic."

"Oh, yeah...K, let's do it."

Marlow stuck his hand into the portal. It didn't hurt, but the the rift sort of let out heat, up until Marlow's tiny rabbit hand felt the cool, sea breeze. He also felt rain.

"I'm not dead, so-"

"Let's do this."

Arcadia grabbed Marlow and jumped through the rift. Marlow was shocked at first, but then remembered the notion that the rift wasn't dangerous. They fell fast, through a stormy rain, but Marlow sustained both of them momentarily. Marlow looked off towards the cliff and saw the guild hall, which sent a chill down his spine. _Did Superior decide to destroy the guild?_ He also saw that there was some sort of conflict going on at the guildhall, but he couldn't make out anything save for a hydra. A sense of danger washed over Marlow as he yelled over the storm.

"Arcadia! Julius from Daunt is at our guild!"

"WHAT!? I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"BAD THINGS AT THE GUILD!"

"OH! OK! LET'S STOP THEM!"

Marlow briefly scanned the waves below for any sign of Caden, Tony, Roger, or Lorraine, but saw no one. He and Arcadia slowly descended into the sea, but suddenly, a freak bolt of lightning hit them as they both screamed and fell into the ocean. As Marlow hit the ocean, he glimpsed a bright light flashing somewhere atop the cliff...

Lucky finally caught a glimpse of the guild hall. Also a giant, multi-headed lizard. _Oh look! It breathes fire! _Lucky thought sarcastically. HE bolted into a sprint to reach the guild and help out, but he, apparently, was too late to warn them. _Everybody better not be dead!_ Lucky ran through the drenching rain, when he suddenly glimpsed a flash of lightning illuminate over the ocean. _That's weird…_ Lucky thought, but suddenly, he heard a voice.

"Is this your guild, nothing?"

Lucky turned around to glimpse an odd looking woman wearing a wedding dress and seemingly being scratched up by something.

"So, you ditched your fiancee at the last sec to join a guild, eh? Well, we're in, like, a thousand different crisis, so-"

"Insolent nothing! I am here to destroy you!"

"Oh...well in that case, I'm going to-"

He was too slow, the woman flashed a huge bright light that knocked Lucky back on the pathway. Evidently, she worked with the crazy people from the Labyrinth. Lucky tried to stop her with his "influential charisma."

"Wait! Wait! I, uhh…"

Suddenly, the woman was hit by another random bolt of lightning. Lucky had only a few seconds to come up with a quick one-liner.

"Looks like luck's not on your side."

The woman had definitely looked unconscious, so Lucky decided to check and make sure she wasn't dead. He checked her pulse, and she was still alive. Or so Lucky thought. Suddenly, the lady's head twisted around, and there was a weird magic circle above her head. The lady then disappeared, and Lucky gave up trying to make sense of anything. He looked back towards the guildhall and saw that the hydra wasn't there anymore either. Lucky got up and walked back towards the guild, deciding whether or not anyone else was entirely confused. The rain died down.

Chiron floated up, holding his burning sword and scythe. He tried to burn and stab Julius' heads instead of decapitating them, but his efforts didn't show any effort. Claus and Francis laid knocked out against the wall, and Rowan was delivering wooden skewers one after another in a fury of rage. Chiron dodged a snapping head, then a breath of flame. One head was trying to come at Chiron from behind, but he parried with his sword and slammed the head to the ground with massive, demonic force. Suddenly, there was a bright flash of lightning, and another, different light coming from behind, but Chiron paid it no mind. He caught a head with the curved edge of his scythe, but did not dismember the hydra. He instead wrapped it with his tail and slammed it into the ground. Suddenly, all heads of the hydra recoiled in pain and slowly faded back into Julius in his human form. He had been defeated. Chiron went closer to him to ask him questions about what was going on, but there was another flash of lightning and Julius' head snapped, and he disappeared with a bright, magic circle.

Chiron tried to see where Julius went, or what kind of magic he had used. _Maybe it wasn't him who used the magic to make him disappear, but perhaps someone else…_ Chiron thought. _Erneslus…_ Chiron suddenly realized that he was slightly injured, though not as bad as Rowan, Claus, or Francis. He rushed them back inside, with the help of Vorlue, and noticed that the tentacles were gone. Thankfully, no one had been killed in the guildhall itself, though many people had vanished. Hayle, however, was not injured, and she told Chiron what had happened.

"Chiron! There was a Demonologist and a little girl! The tentacle thing was apparently a demon."

"Where are they now?" Chiron asked.

"I don't know. There was this magic circle, and both just...disappeared. Also, Lorraine somehow managed to wash up ashore. Caden, Tony, and Roger too."

"What? How did they manage-"

"I don't know!"

Chiron rushed from the guildhall down to the beach that a set of stairwells led to. Sure enough, all four were there, sopping wet, but unharmed.

"Are you all right?"

Lorraine responded, "I believe so."

"Where's Marlow and Arcadia? And how did you get here?"

"There was a portal, and these wizards, but we managed to keep this safe." She showed Chiron a mysterious, blood-looking rock. It shone in many iridescent colors in the light. Lorraine continued,

"As for Marlow and Arcadia, there was this...odd woman. She was powerful, I don't know if-"

"Are they alright!?" Chiron yelled. There was silence, then Lorraine answered,

"I don't know."

Chiron was quiet for a second, then he spoke up, "Where is this portal?"

"Over the ocean. I think it disappeared with the lightning, though."

"They're still at the Labyrinth then?"

"I believe so."

Caden suddenly interrupted, "Why did the portal lead back to the guildhall, though? I didn't think that that Superior lady was sent to destroy the guild. She just wanted the Opal."

"I don't know, Caden," Lorraine said dejectedly, "I don't know…"

There was a moment of silence, but it was suddenly broken when they heard a voice yelling out on the ocean.

"HOLY SHIT THAT LIGHTNING HURT! MARLOW ARE YOU OK?"

Arcadia was alright. Evidently, Marlow was too, because the two floated back towards the beach over the water.

"You're alright!" Caden shouted. A wave of relief overwhelmed everyone at the beach, especially Chiron. However, a sudden notion made Lorraine feel uncomfortable.

"Where is Superior?"

Suddenly, Lucky appeared above everyone, yelling "Oh, I met a crazy lady on the way back who used some sort of light magic. Was that her?"

"Yes." Lorraine responded, "Are you alright?"

"Well, yes. She was struck by lightni- I mean, I beat her, then she disappeared."'

Tony suddenly spoke up to Lucky, "Where's Marjoh?"

"She's alright. I got her back to her folks' place safe and sound."

Marlow looked at Lorraine and said, "So, everyone in that group is gone, then. Right?"

Lorraine answered, "I believe so."

"Where are they?"

"I can't say. But I doubt they're through with us."

Caden suddenly said something to lift everyone's spirits. "Well, we won and nobody died and we have the Opal. I say that this is a victory for Ruby Phoenix!"

Marlow acknowledged, "Yeah,I suppose we did. Good job everyone."

They all went upstairs to see the damage the nameless group had caused. Claus, Milly, Francis, Milo, and Brutus were out cold, but thankfully, no injuries were fatal. Obviously, the hall itself had taken a beating from fire and tentacles alike, but the damages could be easily fixed. All of the guild's members gathered in the hall. Marlow stood atop a chair that was on top of a table to actually be slightly taller than everyone.

"So does anyone actually know what the hell just happened?"

Isa, Hitari, Anise, and Juliet suddenly barged into the hallway trailing a small wagon of treasure. Isa then shouted, "Oh my God! I leave the hall for a little bit and come back to this? What the hell happened?"

Marlow just shook his head silently.


	8. Marlow Needs to Calm Down

_Chapter 8 - Marlow Needs to Calm Down_

Even though no public property had been broken or anything. The Kingdom of Fiore's guard came to evaluate what had happened. No one was arrested, and Marlow didn't receive any fines, but they questioned him anyway. Marlow had no clue as to who Erneslus Stone was, nor who the mysterious wizards in the Labyrinth were, but Marlow knew one thing; the Opal needed a whole lot more protection than Ruby Phoenix could offer. Marlow gave the guards the Opal and told them to protect it, and they did, much to Isa's dismay. The guards found no sign of any of the wizards, but they did block the Labyrinth from public use, posting a couple of guards near its entrance. The money that Erneslus promised, however, was true enough, and Ruby Phoenix suddenly was in big money. Marjoh's parents also thanked the guild profusely and spread word of their strength. The guildhall also wasn't too difficult to repair, and before long, the guild was back to taking requests. People were going off and such to meet the requests, and after a while, only Marlow, Milo, Chiron, Lorraine, and Clara were at the guild.

Marlow and Milo were going through the mail that had came.

"Taxes, Bills, Bills," Marlow started, "Oh look, there's an advertisement on a love potion."

"When will people learn that those are always fake?" Milo mused.

"I don't know." Marlow went back to the mail, "Bills; how much money do we owe people? Anyway… oh look! An invitation to the Grand Magic Games."

` "Oh, that's that competition they're holding at the Capitol. We should do it."

"What? We're so new, we'd get our asses handed to us. I can't picture myself going against, say, Sabretooth and winning."

"Sorry…"

"Oh, no. You're OK. You don't have to be so sorry all the time."

"Oh, sorry then."

"Ah- nevermind." He went back to the mail, "A job request."

"What does it say?"

"'Read This, The consciousness by which very- oh nevermind. It's just a changeling spell."

"Yeah, we should probably get rid of that."

Marlow gave Milo the letter and went back to the mail, "Ads, Ads, A- What's this?"

Marlow picked up an odd letter. It seemed yellow with age and had no name, nor return address. "The mystery author," Marlow said, "Chiron! Get over here!"

Chiron came to the bar, "What is it?"

"A letter from you-know-who."

"We really don't, though."

"Yeah, I suppose." Marlow opened the letter to see an equally yellowed, old letter

written in ink. It seemed to be a poem. "What does it say?" Milo asked

Marlow read the letter,

"_Red Fire Bird, caught in a spider's web_

_Soon, a Clue. A knife to cut._

_Traitors, Spiders_ _to cut the bird_

_A crossing, a sanctuary_

_The door opens_

_I suppose I should give a name, you've _

_survived this far_

_-The Colors Man"_

The room fell silent. Chiron spoke up, "The Colors Man? Erneslus told me he

worked for him. He is the author?"

Marlow responded, "I-I don't, I don't know."

Milo interjected, "What does it mean by traitors?"

"I'm not sure," Chiron answered, "But we should be wary of things. I don't know why, but we're a part of something now."

The room suddenly began to spin for Marlow, as he was experiencing a panic

attack. Marlow fell down on the ground and started sweating profusely.

"Marlow!" Chiron shouted as he saw the rabbit fall, "Marlow, are you OK?"

Marlow didn't normally get panic attacks, but only when he got especially stressed. At least this time, he didn't faint. "I-I'm alright." He let out a couple of breaths, "Why does this guy want us so badly? What do we mean to him?"

"I'm not sure," Chiron responded, "But you're not OK. You haven't had an attack for at least a couple of months."

"I'm fine, I swear."

Milo got a glass of water for Marlow, but Marlow pushed it aside, "I'm fine."

"Sorry…" Milo apologized.

Marlow continued, "It's just, It… Just with Daunt, and the Labyrinth, and this colors Man, and...other things. It's just...a lot to handle. I'll be fine." Marlow turned into a human for a bit and sat down in a chair. Chiron walked over and sat next to him, ever so calmly.

"I don't know what's going on either, but you need to relax."

"I'm OK, Chiron. I swear."

"Marlow, you are a high-strung-"

"I'm OK!"

Silence fell at Marlow's outburst, but he then turned back into a rabbit involuntarily and began to breath heavily again. Marlow broke the silence.

"Chiron, I'm more worried about the guild than myself This Colors Man knows where we are and I don't think he's afraid to hold back against us. We need to figure out what's going on now."

"I'm aware, Marlow. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry I yelled." Marlow got up, "You're right, I need to calm down. I'm going to that Hosenka Spa place or something. I'll be back."

"Are you going alone?"

"Yes, if that's OK."

Chiron nodded, "OK, I'll watch the guild."

"Thank you." Marlow responded

Marlow got up and began towards Ceruleo. He hailed a carriage to get him there quicker, and before long, he arrived at the port town. When he got there, he hopped aboard a train to get there. The train ride was peaceful and quiet, and Marlow was alone with his thoughts. _Chiron's right, I haven't had an attack since before we started Ruby Phoenix. Why is it the Colors Man who set me off, though. All he did was write a stupid letter. It means nothing! _Marlow breathed heavily to calm down, and his head was clear. _What don't I know, Marlow. Think. _Thoughts of Caden suddenly drifted into Marlow's head, but he blushed and tried to think of something else. _Colors Man, Colors Man! _He calmed down, _OK, so he wrote to Isa, Clara, and brought us to Daunt. Daunt was after the same thing as those random wizards in the Labyrinth. Superior was their leader, but Julius was connected to both of the groups. _Marlow looked out the window to see the jagged mountain peaks that threatened to puncture the sky. The train route from Ceruleo to its next destination, the Capitol Crocus, went through the mountains. Autumn was beginning to infiltrate the summer weather that had surrounded the guild hall, and the few alpine trees permeating the environment began to show reds, oranges, and browns through their green veil. It was a soothing sight. Marlow didn't know why, but Fall had been his favorite month. It just looked so neat. He spent the hours looking out the window at the scenery and meandering through his thoughts, but after a while, Marlow's eyes began to get heavy. The train ride would take a while, so he decided to take a nap.

Marlow dreamed. In his dreams, he was still a rabbit for some reason. Alternatively, he didn't usually have magic in his dreams. It wasn't always like that, but it was a recurring pattern. Marlow was in Gokenomura, before it sank. Arcadia and Caden were there, although Arcadia was as she is now and Caden wasn't a rabbit, just the little kid he looked like when he was young. In the dream, they both went up to Marlow and told him to rescue the kitten on the beach. The next thing Marlow knew, he was _on_ the beach, and there was no kitten; just a lot of horseshoe crabs. The tides pulled them out to sea, but then a random flash of light appeared and there was a man there. He had golden, pointy hair, a fedora, a cape, and a large bird on his shoulder. He didn't seem familiar, which was odd because Marlow had read somewhere that you can't dream up someone you didn't recognize. Dream Marlow knew that too, and he suddenly got really scared and turned to run away. The next thing Marlow knew, he was running in a cave. There was lava coming from random points of the ground, and Marlow avoided them, although it wasn't hot. The bird man was at the end of the cave, and he stared at Marlow. His mouth moved, but there was no sound. Marlow suddenly couldn't move or talk, but he did make out the words "Calm Down" on the bird man's lips. The next thing dream Marlow heard was a loud yell. "We are now arriving in Hosenka Spa Town! Hosenka Spa Town!"

Marlow woke up and thought two things: _That was a remarkably short train ride or I've been asleep for a long time _and _This is coincidentally convenient for me._ He also thought on how the dream was short but then remembered he probably dreamed about something else before he dreamed the bird man dream. Marlow grabbed his small bag and unboarded the train. The conductor looked shocked at the walking rabbit, and Marlow thought it weird how he didn't notice him before. _Oh yeah, I'm short. _Marlow walked all around the oriental-themed architecture and found a random in to stay at. Marlow paid the innkeeper, in human form as not to surprise anyone, and dropped his luggage on the bed with weird bits of samurai armor embedded into the mantelpiece. There was also a wooden dresser, a bathroom thing, and a painting of a dragon. _I wonder where the dragons went, _Marlow wondered_, and why does this painting makes them look more like a snake with short legs and a lion's mane? _Marlow popped back into a bunny, and just left his clothes there. He wandered over to a hot tub to soak. When he found it outside the sliding door of his room, he relaxed and let the scalding water soothe his soul or something. After a while, Marlow calmed down.

As Marlow was alone, he mused through his thoughts. _OK, so the Colors Man wants something of Ruby Phoenix. Probably Minetta's Opal, but who knows. Daunt and the weird group seem to work slightly together, whether or not they knew it or not, because of Julius' involvement in both. Come to think of it, Julius probably just used Daunt to get to the Labyrinth. The weird group also disappeared, and may possibly be dead, although I don't may have just used some weird spell. Superior probably isn't the one in charge, come to think about it, considering she disappeared as 's also that Incantation which doesn't, in fact, destroy the world. Probably. Weird group wanted it, and so did the Colors Man. I'm going to have to go back to the Labyrinth to see what the Incantation does, although I_ really _don't want to. That's a later thing. Erneslus was a pawn, and Chiron told me about Eagle and his supervisor. I think that the Colors Man's faction and Superior's faction are at odds, but how does that involve us?_

Marlow pondered hard, but couldn't think of anything. He then thought back to the weird dream he experienced for some reason, and through that, thought about Gokenomura.

Marlow's parents retired in the village town around the same time Marlow was born to be with Rathe's mother, Millicent. Gwen had been a semi-famous singer, and Rathe, a wealthy boat tycoon, fell smitten at one of her performances. They married, but only had one child; Marlow. Marlow grew up smart and kind, but kind of worrisome as well. He didn't, however fully develop his anxiety issues until later. Millicent Melone, Rathe's mother, was Marlow's grandmother, and whenever Marlow visited her small house on the cliffside, she always gave Marlow a caramel hard candy. Marlow fell in love with the candies, and Millicent was kindly and wise. She also practiced magic when she was young, but old age had diminished her abilities. She would still tell Marlow her wizarding stories and how she had once belonged to a guild named Will-o-the-Wisp, before it mysteriously disappeared. Between going to Marlow's grandmother's house, playing on the beach and fields with neighborhood kids, and being home, Marlow's youth was joyous contentful.

Marlow remembered the first day of school. He walked down to the large building at the edge of town, and was surprised as to how many kids lived in Gokenomura and the surrounding communities. Marlow's first grade teacher was Mrs. Kittredge, and when he first came to class, he spotted a girl in the corner of the room with fire in her hands, with another boy watching. Marlow was amazed, for this was magic just like Grandma's.

"That is crazy! Are you using magic?" Marlow asked.

"I know, I pretty neat, dude." The girl answered, but the boy interrupted.

"Hey, kid. You're in the presence of a serious wizard. She's one of my lots of friends, 'cause I'm the best."

Marlow continued, "Are you going to join a guild when you grow up?"

"You ask a lot of questions, kid, and I don't even know your name."

"My name is Marlow."

"Neat, I'm Arcadia."

"That is a really awesome name."

"Thanks, dude."

The other boy then shouted, "I am the totally awesome Caden Rikatoya. I'm gonna be a wizard too, probably, and join Fairy Tail or something and get crazy rich."

Marlow looked confused, "Do you know any magic?"

Caden then looked down, "Umm, no…. Not yet, but Arcadia's gonna teach me, right?"

Arcadia shrugged, "I don't know, maybe."

Marlow then looked up hopefully, "Can I learn magic too, please?"

"Dudes, I'm not the teacher. That's Mrs. Kit's job, I just burn things."

Marlow looked dejected, but smiled anyway. Caden shouted again

"We're all best friends now and there's nothing you guys can do about it."

Arcadia countered, "Can my sister be best friends, too?"

Caden looked confused, "You have a sister?"

"Not really, but she's a talking bird, so that's cool, right?"

Marlow then looked suspicious, "I don't believe you."

Arcadia then let out a shrill whistle, and a red bird descended from the window yelling, "Hello, yes, I am Hayle, Arcadia's friend." Mrs. Kittredge then let out a yell and went after Hayle with a broom. The teacher shrieked, "Not Again! Get Out! Get Out!" Apparently, she was afraid of birds.

"Fine," Hayle said, "I'll leave." She did, and the teacher went to the corner to suck her thumb.

Caden then interrupted, "OK, we're all going to be best friends and be wizards and join a guild, you promise?"

Arcadia shrugged, "Sure."

Marlow said, "Yeah, sounds great."

And they did so.

_We as children were so weird, _thought Marlow, _we didn't even know what we were doing. _Throughout their attempts at magic, Marlow, Arcadia, Hayle, and Caden saw many obstacles. Even though Arcadia had control over her Fire magic, to a point, she managed to burn down the surrounding trees, part of the school, and a couple of the teachers and students (though not fatally). Young Marlow and Caden, who had no means to learn magic from, were hopeless. After a while, however, Caden managed to turn slightly invisible after he stole a book from a magic store. Caden had the habit of stealing things and was often punished by his strict parents, Torry and Floyd Rikatoya, or random store owners. Once in a while, though, he managed to get away with something. After _more_ of a while, Caden learned to turn fully invisible, and even mute at times, though not for too often; Caden likes to talk. Arcadia also managed to augment her flames and control them more adeptly. Marlow wasn't getting anywhere. He tried to attempt Fire magic, but that got nowhere. Arcadia was a horrible teacher. She also didn't have a book or scroll or anything to use magic; apparently, it came naturally to Arcadia. Marlow was still determined, and his grandmother fed his ambitions by telling him he could do anything he set his mind to. Millicent also promised to get him a book on magic when she went out to Ceruleo or some other city. Marlow eagerly awaited that, and still trained with Arcadia, Caden, and Hayle, who didn't really do much. The happy trio were twelve years old at the time.

Things changed when Millicent Melone became ill. She had gone out to Ceruleo as was promised, but came back with some horribly disfiguring disease. Marlow's parents didn't have the heart to tell Marlow when she showed symptoms, so Marlow didn't know what illness became of Millicent. Rathe and Gwen told young Marlow that his grandmother had simply went to a retirement home in the Capitol Crocus, but Caden brought it upon himself to look through her belongings before she "left." When Caden saw Millicent in her bed, her flesh was grey, her eyes black, and she was coughing violently. Caden ran out and quickly woke Marlow up that night to tell him what had happened. Marlow woke with a start and ran alone as Caden rushed to find Arcadia in the orphanage. Marlow ran to the house on the cliffside and found Millicent coughing and withering away. Tears welled in Marlow's eyes, but clutched in his grandmother's hands were two books. It was then that she whispered her final words

"Marlow, find ."

She died then, and the two books fell from Millicent Melone's corpse. One book was entitled _Expert Gravity Magic_ and the other _Ocaelia_. In the latter, a single caramel candy fell out. Marlow collapsed into the ground as Rathe, Gwen, Caen, Arcadia, Hayle, and many others filled into the room…

Marlow snapped back into reality. His fur was soaked, and he suddenly realized that it was going to be difficult to dry off. He got out of the spa and lumbered back into his hotel room. He remembered the books, stored back in the guildhall on the new cliff-face. _Expert Gravity Magic_ was the book Marlow read to master his powers, but he found other, more master books to hone his skills. _Ocaelia_, however...that book was written in some foreign language that Marlow, nor anyone he found, could decipher. He gave up on it entirely early on in his travels with Arcadia and Caden. Marlow suddenly felt enormously lonely upon the ending of his recollections, but just then, a thought drifted into his mind.

_What if _Ocaelia _was connected to this whole thing?_

He then pushed the thought to the back of his mind. It was completely idiotic to think that MArlow's grandmother was connected to this mysterious Colors Man or the other, ten-thousand oddities that plagued his life of late.

After he finally got dry (which took several hours and an oven, which burnt Marlow's paws), Marlow meandered around Hosenka Spa village, ate good food, had a really awkward massage, tried another really awkward mud bath, which got stuck in his fur and was incredibly difficult to get out, and forgot all about the Colors MAn for a moment. All in all, Marlow calmed down.

How's that for finishing the chapter cleverly, somebody give me a medal.


End file.
